Ten Years Gone
by Kal-El2k9
Summary: Waverider comes to Smallville and takes a peek at one of Clark's possible futures.  Sticklers for canon beware.  Let me know what you think.
1. Chapter 1: The Arrival

Author's note:

If you've never heard of Waverider then it might not be a bad idea for you to quickly go to wikipedia and read the article about him. To make it short and sweet, he is a hero from the year 2030 that appeared in DC Comics 1991 crossover event that was entitled "Armageddon: 2001". His powers are pretty self evident here in this story, but I wanted to give a quick note to be sure that everyone knew who he was.

For those of you that already are familiar with Waverider, I have to warn you that I took some creative license here. First of all, I made him younger. I made him about Clark's age whereas he is described in the comics as being in his mid-thirties. I also made him able to take human form, which is something that I believe he can do now, but couldn't at the time of "Armageddon: 2001".

All of you guys that are sticklers about keeping stories close to canon will have to forgive me. You'll have to disregard Superman's role in "Armageddon: 2001", since in my fic Clark has obviously not yet adopted the old red and blue.

Now…on with the show.

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Ten Years Gone

Chapter One: The Arrival

September 19, 2007

"I can not thank you enough for coming with us," Chloe said as she and Clark pulled the last of the sleeping bags from the truck. "These woods have always given me the creeps."

"Chloe, there's nothing creepy about these woods," Clark said. "Not any creepier than any others."

"Are you kidding me?" Chloe asked. "This is Smallville, Clark. Downtown is strange enough without trying to tackle the great outdoors. It's like Wild Kingdom meets The X-Files. Besides, these little monsters scare me enough."

Clark laughed as he looked around at the seven boys that were presently running around the clearing that they had found, chasing each other with sticks. They were all about ten years old and very loud.

"I thought that you liked kids," Clark said.

"I like _little_ kids," Chloe said. "When they get to this age they turn into gross little snot demons."

Clark set down the sleeping bags and looked over at Jimmy Olsen who was wrestling with one of the tents. It was the old fashioned kind that had poles and ropes and everything else. Clark smiled. Jimmy had the city in his blood. Watching him dressed up in an adult scouting uniform and trying to manage a tent was like watching a fishy try to play baseball.

"Do you need some help, Jimmy?" Clark asked.

"No," Jimmy said. "I think I've got it under control, CK. Thanks."

"Why did you buy that kind of tent?" Clark asked. "They make them a lot bigger and easier to put together."

"Well, because I became a scoutmaster because I wanted to teach the boys everything that I know about survival in the wilderness. What could I possibly teach them if I try and find the easy way out."

"You could teach them to spend less than an hour on their tent," Chloe said as she joined them. She turned and grabbed one boy by the belt and pulled him out of a tree. "Don't do that," she said.

Clark approached Jimmy and took one of the poles from him. He shoved it into the ground and ran the line to the other one. Then he put the canvas tent over them and began to stake it down.

"You make it look easy," Jimmy said.

"Jimmy," Clark replied. "You grew up in Metropolis. It's okay if you don't know how to do this stuff."

"That's why I invited Clark," Chloe said. "He could do all of this with his eyes closed."

"Hey, Mr. Olsen," one of the boys yelled. "When Mr. Kent gets done with your tent is he going to tuck you in?"

Jimmy's face turned red and he headed off to get some more gear from the truck. Clark looked at Chloe and sighed.

"Maybe I shouldn't have come," he said.

"Don't be silly," Chloe said. "Jimmy knows that he needs someone out here that knows what they're doing. He's just embarrassed. I mean, he's probably never been outside of Metropolis for more than a few hours." She leaned in to be sure that no one but Clark could hear her. "Besides, the fact that you were going was the only reason that most of these kids' parents agreed to this trip."

"Really?" Clark asked. Chloe nodded. "Jimmy's dad never took him camping?"

"Jimmy's dad is even more of a city boy than he is," Chloe replied. "He's an accountant."

Clark nodded. "Alright. I'll do whatever I can to help. But I'm not taking over for him. This is important to him and I don't want him to hate me over it."

"Thanks, Clark," Chloe said.

BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB

"Mr. Olsen," a little red headed boy said as he and some of the others began to gather around the area where the tents were set up. "It's getting dark."

Jimmy looked around as he set the last of the firewood onto a small pile. He and Chloe had gone off for a while to gather it and Clark had opted to stay behind and help the boys finish setting up their tents.

"You're right, Jackie," Jimmy said. "It is getting dark."

"Don't you think that we should start a campfire?" the boy asked.

Jimmy smiled. "Absolutely! We should get a fire started! Then we should cook some hot dogs on sticks, roast some marshmallows, and tell some ghost stories!"

The boys cheered in agreement and they all began to make a stack of small sticks and dried brush in the center of a circle of rocks that Jimmy had put together. When they were done they all stood together and looked at Clark.

"Why is everyone looking at me?" Clark asked.

"Aren't you going to start the fire?" one of the boys asked.

"No," Jimmy said. "I'm going to start the fire."

"Did you bring any matches?" another boy asked.

"No," Jimmy replied.

"A cigarette lighter?"

"No."

"A blowtorch?"

Jimmy turned red again. "I didn't bring any of that. I'm going to start a campfire the way the cavemen used to do it. I'm going to rub sticks together."

"Is one of the sticks going to be a match?" a boy asked. Clark had to stifle a laugh, but Chloe was not able to suppress a short giggle. Jimmy looked at her with disappointment.

"Et tu, Chloe?" he said. She put a hand over her mouth and turned her head. "Boys, if any of you bothered to read your scouting manual you would see that all of the instructions that you need to build a warm roaring fire are right there." He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a rolled up paperback book. He flipped through it until he found the page that had the instructions for building a fire and handed the book to one of the boys. "Now, you read that to me and I'm going to do exactly what it says."

Jimmy picked up two sticks and followed the instructions as they were read to him by the boy with the book. He rubbed the sticks just the way that it said to on a patch of dried straw. But nothing happened. Nothing continued to happen for nearly an hour as the sun finished going down and the stars began to sparkle overhead. Soon it was so dark that they could barely even see one another in the dim moonlight.

Clark chanced a glance at Chloe. She was looking at him expectantly as Jimmy continued to mumble to himself and rub the sticks together. The boys had given up waiting and were all sitting around the camp, chewing on whatever candy they had in their pockets. Clark shook his head at Chloe, indicating that he was not getting involved. She poked her lip out. He sighed.

Clark looked down at where Jimmy was kneeling. He let a wave of heat issue from his eyes and kept it focused on where the other man's hands were working. A small flame shot up from the straw and quickly ignited the rest of the sticks.

"We have fire!" Jimmy yelled. The boys got up and cheered. They looked on in astonishment that their scoutmaster had actually been able to make a fire without using matches or lighters. "Get me some of that wood!"

Soon, they had a roaring fire and they all sat around it with hot dogs on sticks, roasting them over the warm flames.

"Great job, Sweetie," Chloe said.

"Yeah," Clark added. "You really did a great job on this, Jim."

Jimmy smiled. "Thanks, Chlo. Thanks a lot, CK. I know it took a lot of willpower for you not to take over."

"Hey, this is your scout troop," Clark said. "I'm here if you want some help. Otherwise, I'm not getting in your way."

"Thanks again, CK," Jimmy said.

"Let's tell some ghost stories," one of the boys said.

"Yeah," a few of them said in agreement.

"Okay," Jimmy said. "Who has one?"

"I could tell about Bloody Fingers again," came a response.

"You always tell that one, Sidney," another said.

"What about Mr. Kent?" someone called.

"Me?" Clark asked. "I don't know any ghost stories."

"What about the meteor freaks?"

Clark looked at Chloe and she returned with a look that said "don't look at me".

Clark nodded. "Do all of you know the story of the meteor shower that happened a while back?" Most of the boys said that they had. "Well, what your parents didn't tell you was that when the meteors came down, so did a huge monster that buried itself at the bottom of Crater Lake."

Jimmy listened enviously as Clark went on to tell about the monster that sent up energy from the lake that gave people strange powers and turned them into monsters. Clark caught Jimmy's eye every now and then as he told his story. He could tell that he was upset. He cut his story short and excused himself. Chloe followed him.

"Clark," Chloe said. "Jimmy appreciates the things that you're doing for him."

"I know that he does," Clark said. "I just feel like he's jealous of me for things that I have no control over. I can't help it that I'm better at camping than he is."

"He's not jealous because of that," Chloe said. "He's got it in his head that you've got everything that he wants. He even thinks that I'm closer to you than I am to him."

"You're my best friend," Clark said. "You're the only one that knows my secret."

"I know that," Chloe said. "But seeing us so close bothers him. He's a very insecure person. He's also very sweet."

"Well, I don't know what I'm supposed to…"

Clark was interrupted by a loud hissing noise that seemed to get so loud that nothing else could be heard over it. The entire night began to fade as the sky lit up almost as bright as if it had been the middle of the day. They looked up in time to see a huge ball of fire streak by over their heads with a ribbon of flames trailing behind it. It was descending rapidly. It vanished into the distance but Clark's sensitive hearing told him that it crashed to the ground a second later. They could see smoke coming up from the treetops and could see the glow of a section of the forest in flames.

Jimmy and the boys came running to where Clark and Chloe were standing. They followed their gaze into the distance where the mysterious object had vanished.

"What the hell was that?" Jimmy asked.

"It looked like a meteor," Clark said.

"Well," Chloe replied. "Smallville is no stranger to meteors."

"Do you think that it was the monster?" one of the boys asked.

"No," Chloe said assuredly. "That was just a story.'

"I'm going to go check it out," Clark said.

"I'll go with you," Jimmy said.

"No," Clark replied. "You stay here with the boys. I'll be fine."

Jimmy nodded and Clark set off into the woods. When he had gotten out of view of the others he broke into a full run. He did not quite break the sound barrier, but he was able to reach the forest fire that he found nearly ten miles away in under a minute.

The trees had been mowed down in a straight line as if something had come into the middle of the forest and cut out a section for a new highway. The trees had not been knocked over, but had apparently been incinerated. They were completely gone; with no trace left behind that they had ever been there to begin with. The lane was about a mile long and whatever had put it there had dug deeper and deeper into the ground as it went. He followed it all the way to the end. What he found lying in the crater in the center of a blazing fire surprised him.

Lying there, unconscious and completely naked, was a man.

End of chapter one.

Hey guys. I hope you liked the first chapter. I started to make this story take place during the first season of Smallville, but I decided to go ahead and make it a present story. I guess it's because Clark didn't really start meeting other DC Comics characters until season 3 when he met Perry White. Then he met Flash, Cyborg, Aquaman, Green Arrow, and Martian Manhunter. This year he's going to meet Supergirl and Bizarro Clark. So I think that it's safe to say that this would be the time that he'd be most likely to meet Waverider.

Give me a buzz and let me know what you think. I always love getting reviews. In the next chapter Clark will meet Waverider and find out a little about who he is. Again, if you're a stickler for canon, you won't be happy. I had to change his original mission (mostly the timeline) and some of his powers in order to fit him in with a Smallville setting.

See ya,

Kal-El2K7


	2. Chapter 2: Strange Visitor

Chapter Two: Strange Visitor

September 19, 2007

Clark stared in amazement at the man lying at the bottom of the crater. He had been readying himself to find another poisonous meteor rock that he would have to find a way to get away from. But to find an actual person that had crashed on the earth without the protection of any type of spacecraft was nowhere near what he had expected.

He climbed down into the crater and made his way over to the man. He half expected him to be dead. Anyone that had sailed through the air in a ball of fire would have to be dead when they landed. But he noticed that his skin was not so much as blistered. And his red curly hair was not singed in the least. He touched the man on the shoulder.

"Hey," he said. "Hey. Are you okay?"

The man stirred and turned his head toward him, moaning softly. He opened his eyes and looked as if he were trying to focus his vision.

"Where am I?" he whispered.

"You're in the forest just outside Smallville, Kansas," Clark said. "Are you hurt?"

The man shook his head lightly. Clark held out his hand and the man took it, slowly pulling himself to a sitting position.

"Smallville?" the man asked. "I've heard that name. What year is it?"

"Excuse me?" Clark asked.

"The year," the man repeated. "What is today's date?"

"September, 19," Clark said. "2007."

"2007?" the man asked. Clark nodded. "That's close enough. I have to go." He stood up, apparently unaware of his nudity.

"You do realize that you're naked," Clark said.

The man looked down at himself. "Of course I am," he said. "I can't interact with the humans of this era without appropriate attire. Would you happen to have some clothing?"

The man was at least six inches shorter than Clark and had to weigh twenty pounds less. He was not sure if his clothes would even fit him.

"Not with me," Clark said, still amazed at the man and bewildered by the things that he was saying. "I have some back at my camp. I can go and get them for you."

"That would be a tremendous help," the man said. "Thank you."

"Okay," Clark said. "But when I get back, you're going to answer some questions."

"Yes," the man said. "Of course."

Clark nodded and set off toward the camp. The flames around him had died down quite a bit. It had been a wet season and the trees were not too dry. Once he was far enough away from the stranger, he turned and blew a huge gust of wind that put out the remaining flames like birthday candles. Then he shot off at his normal speed and breezed through the camp to grab his satchel. No one ever realized that he was there. They would only have felt a strong breeze as he ran by. Within a couple of minutes he was walking back to the place where he had left the stranger.

"I did not realize that you were camping so close," the man said.

"Yeah," Clark said dismissively. He reached into his back and pulled out a pair of jeans and the t-shirt that he had gotten at the Talon's grand opening a few years back. He handed them over and the man started to put them on. "So, who are you?"

The man zipped up the jeans and pulled the shirt over his head. "My name is Matthew Ryder." Clark tossed him a pair of old sneakers. He looked at them for a moment as if he did not quite know what they were. After a moment he slipped them on his feet. The clothes were a little big on him, but he could wear them without them falling off.

"No," Clark said. "I didn't really mean 'who are you'. I want to know why you crashed in the woods like a meteor."

"You witnessed my entry?" Ryder asked.

Clark gestured around them. "You sort of set the woods on fire."

"Oh dear," Ryder said. "That is unfortunate. I usually try to land in unpopulated areas to avoid being seen."

"Is this something that you do often?" Clark asked.

"I am sorry, Mr…"

"Kent," Clark finished. "Clark Kent."

"I am sorry, Mr. Kent," Ryder said. "But I cannot tell you anything about myself. I am on a very important quest. I really must be getting to Smallville. There is someone that I have to find."

Ryder began to make his way toward the shallow end of the crater. Clark knew that he could not let the man just leave without getting some answers. He seemed like a nice man that could not cause anyone any harm. But then again, he had come to Earth in a rather fantastic fashion, and that meant that he was anything but normal. Clark had met a lot of nice people over the years that had later turned out to be not so nice.

He did not have to use his abilities to cut the man off of his path. He decided not to exhibit any of his powers unless he had to. He easily moved so that he was standing like a wall in front of him.

"Mr. Ryder," Clark said. "I can't let you go yet."

"I am afraid that I have nothing more to say," Ryder said.

"You seem like a nice guy," Clark said. "But you showed up in a strange way. I'm very protective of the people of Smallville. You're not going to just go walking in there until I find out a little more about you." He reached out and placed a hand on the smaller man's shoulder. He intended to influence the man to do as he asked.

"Please," Ryder said. "I do not want a confrontation."

"Neither do I," Clark said. "Now, come with me back to my camp."

"No!" Ryder yelled. He placed both hands on Clark's chest and pushed him back. He had a surprising amount of strength for such a small man. Clark went back a few steps. He leaped forward. He was going to overpower the man subtly and calm him down.

Ryder closed his eyes and held up his hands as if to persuade Clark to stop. Clark saw the air around the man began to shimmer and a wave of energy emitted from his fingers. It hit Clark like a truck, sending him flying through the air. He landed at least thirty feet away from where he had been standing. A pain shot through his head like a knife. Slowly, the pain subsided and he was able to open his eyes. He picked up his head and looked to where Ryder was.

He could not believe what he saw next. The area around Ryder began to glow a bright yellow, almost as if the man were emitting sunlight. His body transformed, turning a golden yellow color as it grew brighter and brighter. It was like his body was turning itself into light. His hair looked like it was made of fire. He did not look at Clark. He must have assumed that whatever he had done to him had been enough to knock him out. Just as Clark was beginning to accept that what he was seeing was actually happening, Ryder vanished. He had run away so fast that not even Clark's super sensitive eyesight had been quick enough to spot him.

Clark slowly got to his feet and stared at where the man had just been. He shook his head. He could not believe that he had let him get away.

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Whatever it was that Ryder had thrown at Clark had not taken his abilities away, but it had robbed him of nearly all the extra energy that he had. He had found himself extremely tired when he had set out for camp. As a result, the ten mile run that should have taken him less than a minute turned into a hike that lasted nearly the rest of the night.

The sun was just beginning to peek over the horizon when he made it back to camp. None of the boys were awake and Chloe was sitting alone beside the remnants of the fire with a blanket across her shoulders. When she saw Clark she jumped up and dropped the blanket to the ground.

"Clark!" she said, trying to scream and whisper at the same time. "Where have you been? What happened?"

"I found the thing that fell out of the sky," Clark said.

"What was it?" Chloe replied.

"It wasn't a what," Clark said. "It was a who."

"It was a person?" Chloe asked. "Like an alien?"

"I don't know," Clark answered. "He seemed human enough at first. He said that his name was Matthew Ryder."

"It sounds human enough," Chloe replied.

Clark nodded. "About as human as Clark Kent?"

"I see your point," she said.

"Anyway, he kept going on about having to get to Smallville to find someone. I didn't want to just let him go. If he's up to no good he could cause a lot of damage. Especially if he can survive a fall like that and not have a scratch on him."

"So," Chloe said. "How'd you stop him?"

"I didn't," Clark said. "He got away."

"What?" Chloe said. "You mean that there's some alien in Smallville right now?"

"He hit me with some kind of energy blast," Clark said. "It knocked me on my butt and took all the energy that I had with it. I had to walk back here."

"It must have been something if it was able to overpower the man of steel," Chloe said. "What do we need to do now?"

"I've got to go after him," Clark said. "But first I need to eat."

"Well, I've got some cold hot dogs," she said. Clark was able to fizzle enough heat from his eyes to bring the fire back up and he started cooking the hot dogs.

"Where's Jimmy?" Clark said.

"He went out looking for you," Chloe said. "He should have been back by now."

"You let him go off into the woods at night by himself?" Clark asked. "Chloe, he doesn't know the first thing about the wilderness survival."

"We're only a few miles from town, Clark," Chloe said.

"It doesn't matter," Clark said. "There are bears out here. And there are snakes and mountain lions, too."

"Do you think that he's okay?" Chloe asked.

"I hope so," Clark said. "I'd better go and find him."

Clark set off in the direction that Chloe pointed him in. The sun had finally risen into the sky. Clark began to feel better. The sun and the food were helping to recharge him. He was able to start moving a little faster and he honed in his hearing, trying to find the faintest hint of a man walking.

After about an hour or so, he finally sensed something. He was about two miles from the camp. He heard the sound of an adult human breathing very rapidly. He dashed toward the sound to find Jimmy backing slowly toward the edge of a rock face. He was about to step off of a ten foot drop. He did not know what was about to happen because he was too busy staring into the eyes of a mountain lion about ten feet in front of him.

"Jimmy," Clark said softly. "Take it easy."

"Clark!" Jimmy yelled.

The mountain lion let out a wild howl and leaped at Jimmy, who in turn screamed and stepped off the side of the rock. He fell and landed hard on the ground below. Clark leaped and hit the big cat in mid air. They fell and rolled together. The mountain lion got up and ran in another direction.

Clark dashed to Jimmy's side. He was out cold. He scanned his body from head to toe with his x-ray vision. He did not have any broken bones, but his ankle was swollen. It was probably sprained. He picked him up and was about to take off back toward the camp. Then he heard the growling.

He turned and found that the mountain lion had come back for more. He started to set Jimmy back down. The cat jumped, howling crazily. Clark raised his arms to defend himself, but he never got hit. He looked up and saw that the lion was lying motionless on the ground. He looked around. He never saw the man approach, but suddenly he was there. He looked the same as he had when he had last seen him. He was all golden and covered in light. Slowly the light dimmed and his features became more defined until finally he was as normal looking as anyone else.

"I have been watching you," Matthew Ryder said.

"What did you do to me last night?" Clark asked.

"I subdued you with a quantum energy blast," Ryder replied. "It was strong enough to immobilize a human for more than a day. But you got up almost immediately."

"Who are you?" Clark asked.

"I told you," Ryder said. "My name is Matthew Ryder. Or, at least it was. I now go by the name of Waverider."

"You're from another planet?" Clark asked.

"No," Ryder said. "I am as human as anyone. But I come from another era. I originate from the year 2030."

Jimmy started to stir. Clark sat him up and checked him out. He seemed to be alright.

"Who is this?" Jimmy asked.

"This is Matthew Ryder," Clark said. "He was hiking when he saw you and me with the mountain lion."

Jimmy looked at the cat. "What did you do to it?"

Ryder opened his mouth and Clark was afraid that he was about to say something about energy blasts.

"It's an old army trick," Clark said.

They started back for the camp. Clark let Jimmy get ahead of them and he tried to get within whispering range of Ryder. "Why are you here?"

"It is a long story," Ryder said. "Suffice to say, the earth is in trouble in my time. I have come back try and solve an old mystery and try to make things better."

"So you're in Smallville looking for someone?" Clark said. "I mean, that's what you said last night."

"Not just anyone, Mr. Kent," Ryder said. "I did not know who I was looking for until I saw what you are capable of. I have come to this time and place to find you."

End of chapter two

Hey, guys. I hope you're enjoying this story as much as you all seemed to enjoy my last one. I know that the chapters haven't been quite as long. I'm trying to establish just who my version of Waverider is. In the next chapter I'll explain a little more about where he came from and what his mission is.

Keep those reviews coming.

Kal-El2K7


	3. Chapter 3: Waverider

Hey guys. I love your reviews. I just wanted to make a quick note or two before chapter 3. The idea of the Talon t-shirt that Clark gives to Ryder in chapter 2 comes from the fact that a lot of coffee shops and small restaurants give out t shirts and other merchandise at their grand openings and also sell them in the store. I just had a funny image of Ryder running around in a Talon t-shirt that was too big for him

Also, there probably aren't any mountain lions in Kansas. I'm not up to par on my "Wild America" knowledge. But I had to find a way for Ryder to witness Clark's abilities. A lion attack seemed exciting.

Anyway…on with the show.

Chapter 3: Waverider

September 20, 2007

When they finally reached the camp they found that Chloe and the boys had already packed all of the tents and bags into the back of Clark's truck. Chloe ran up to Jimmy and hugged him when he emerged form the woods.

"I was so worried," she said. "What happened?"

"I got attacked by a mountain lion," Jimmy said. "Clark found me, even though he was supposed to be the one that was lost."

"You can thank our new friend here," Clark said with a gesture to Ryder. "This is Matthew Ryder." He gave Chloe a knowing glare. "He got here last night."

Chloe's eyes went wide and he knew that she had caught his meaning. "Really?" she said. "Well, it's nice to meet you, Mr. Ryder. I'm Chloe Sullivan."

"Chloe Sullivan?" Ryder asked. "Do you work for the Daily Planet?"

Chloe smiled, a little bewildered. "Yes, I do. You know who I am?"

Ryder looked as if he were star struck. "Oh, heavens yes! "Everyone knows who you are where I come from."

"And where is that?" Jimmy asked.

Clark jumped in, once again afraid that Ryder would give too much information. "He's from New York!" he said. "He just came for some rest and relaxation. Right, Matthew?"

"That is correct," Ryder said.

Jimmy looked down at the stranger's clothes. "Where'd you get the duds?"

"I am sorry?" Ryder asked.

"Your clothes," Jimmy clarified. "You're wearing a Talon shirt and your pants are too big."

"They're mine," Clark said. "He fell in the lake before we found you and I gave him some dry clothes."

Jimmy looked at him, dumbfounded. Finally, Chloe stepped in to the rescue.

"Jimmy," Chloe said. "Why don't you and I take the boys back to town in the station wagon? Clark can follow in the truck."

Jimmy nodded, clearly wanting to ask Ryder a few more questions. But they got the boys loaded up and then Jimmy and Chloe rode off down the narrow path that led back to Smallville.

When they had disappeared, Clark turned to Ryder. He had a hint of confusion, anger, and interest all mixed together on his face.

"Okay," he said. "First of all, I'm very selective about who knows the secret of my abilities. So, I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't blab it to Jimmy. He has a big mouth."

"I understand, Clark," Ryder said. "I would never give away your secret. Your future is too important."

"I want to know more about where you're from," Clark said. "Why are you here? And what does it have to do with me?"

"I told you," Ryder said. "I am from the year 2030 A.D.. I came to this era to find you."

"But why?" Clark asked. "And how did you know that I'd be here?"

"Because of the meteor shower that occurred here so many years ago," Ryder said. "I knew that you were from the planet Krypton, so I deduced that Smallville is where you would have come when you landed."

"How do you know me?" Clark asked. "What's in my future that brought back here?"

"Ah," Ryder said with a smile. "That is my quest. In my world, the world is being led by a tyrannical ruler that goes by the name of Monarch."

"The world is under one ruler?" Clark asked.

"That is correct," Ryder said. "There will be a cataclysmic war in the year 2025. Almost every nation will fight one another. Billions of innocent lives will be lost. Monarch will emerge almost as a savior. He will bring all of humanity together, making them believe that he can solve all of the problems that they face. They will trust him, and he will be made a sort of supreme pontiff. But then he will turn on them. He will enslave almost the entire human race."

"Why would an entire world trust one man?" Clark asked.

"Because Monarch was once one of Earth's greatest heroes," Ryder replied. "He saved millions during his crusades."

"Really?" Clark asked. "Who is he?"

"I do not know," Ryder said. "That is what I am trying to find out. I was a scientist where I come from. My colleagues and I discovered the secrets of traveling through time. I was selected to be the first man to use our new method of quantum displacement. When I found out that I would be going back in time, I decided that I would try to find the person who Monarch was."

"You want to find him and kill him," Clark said. "And you think that I might become him in the future."

"Whoever becomes Monarch in 2025 will first show himself as a hero about ten years from now," Ryder said. "I have already visited three other future heroes of the Earth. They have proven to me that they will not become Monarch."

"How can you tell which one of us it is?" Clark asked.

"That is another story," Ryder said. "When I was sent back in time on my original journey, something happened to me. I was changed on a molecular and quantum level. I became what I am now. I am pure energy. I can travel through time to any place that I need to go."

"And you can knock a Kryptonian on his butt," Clark added.

"Yes," Ryder said. "I can throw quantum energy blasts. I call myself Waverider, because I can ride the waves of time. I am also gifted in telekinesis. I can touch you, and your future will play out before me."

"So you can see if I become this Monarch guy?" Clark asked.

Ryder nodded. "Yes."

"And if you find out that I am him?" Clark asked.

Ryder looked down for moment and then looked back at Clark, staring directly into his eyes.

"You are Kal-El," Ryder said. "You are the last son of Krypton. Are you not?"

"I am," Clark said.

"In the future you will be a champion for the people," Ryder continued. "You will save lives. And some of the lives that you save will go on to save even more lives. One day in the near future, you will don a costume and a secret identity so that you can use your gifts in the open, without worrying if people see you."

"What will I call myself?" Clark asked.

"Superman," Ryder replied.

"That doesn't sound very original," Clark said.

"And no one will know that you are secretly Clark Kent. I did not even know it until this morning. But in contrast, Monarch will trick billions of people into trusting him, and then he will enslave an entire race. He will kill innocent people if they do not bow to his wishes. If you found out that one of our greatest heroes would one day become that monster, what do you think should happen? If the thousands that he saved would have to be sacrificed in order to save the millions that he would later kill, should it happen?"

Clark nodded. "Yes. If everything that you're saying is true."

Ryder transformed again. This time it was not gradual. This time he turned into his energy form just like he had struck a match. He reached out and placed his hand on Clark's chest. Clark felt fingers of fire dig into his head and reach the innermost part of his mind. He heard Waverider's voice. It seemed to come from inside of him rather than from his ears.

"Know the truth, Kal-El," he said.

Inside Clark's mind, a scene burst into being. He saw a vast landscape. There were no trees. There were no buildings. There were no lakes and no rivers. For miles and miles he could see nothing but rocks, dirt, and mud. All along the ground he saw malnourished people trudging back and forth, performing meaningless tasks as robots at least ten feet tall followed behind them. If one of them fell or slowed their work, the robots would zap them with an energy pulse and the person would cry out in pain. More often than not he could see that the person did not get up. The robot would continue to zap them until they stopped moving.

There was a vessel hovering high over all of this. Clark could see in the window of the large ship that there was a man wearing what looked like armor watching it all. He wore a helmet that covered his face. Clark could sense his feeling and his mood. He was happy. The torture that was playing out before him was delighting him.

It was Monarch.

The scene vanished and Clark found himself suddenly thrown back into the forest. Ryder was stepping away from him; now back in his human form. Clark bent over and vomited. He had never felt this sick before. Not even the meteor rocks affected him like this.

"You have seen the world that I come from," Ryder said. "And you know in your heart that it was real."

Clark nodded. "I do," he said.

"Then tell me what you think that I should do," Ryder said.

Clark stood upright and looked Ryder in the eye. "Look at my future. If I turn into Monarch, I want you to kill me!"

Ryder nodded. He transformed into his energy form once more. He reached out and placed a hand on each side of Clark's head. Their minds merged and Waverider looked at Clark's future.

End of chapter 3


	4. Chapter 4: Ten Years Gone

Chapter Four: Ten Years Gone

September 20, 2017

Clark Kent stepped into the lobby of the Daily Planet. There were people running all over the place. He stood by anxiously waiting as one person after another passed him by without a glance. He raised his hand several times to try and gain someone's attention, but it was almost as if no one saw him.

"Excuse me," he said to one man as he walked by. "Could you tell me where the editor's office is?"

"I can't talk," the man said, rushing past him. Clark pushed his glasses up on his nose and sighed. He had spent a lot of time in Metropolis several years ago. But for the past five years or so he had been staying close to Smallville. He was going to have to reacquaint himself with a faster pace of living.

"Clark Kent?"

Clark looked up at the sound of his name. Jimmy Olsen was standing by one of the desks in the area known as the bull pen. He was staring at him with open surprise on his face.

"Hi, Jimmy," Clark said. "I was beginning to wonder if I'd ever find anyone that I knew."

"Oh, I'm always here," Jimmy said. "It's good to see you, CK. How've you been?"

"I've been good," Clark said. "I've been really busy trying to get my degree in…"

"Jimmy," a woman called from behind him. Jimmy turned around and Clark turned with him. There was a very attractive young lady in a very short skirt holding a telephone against her shoulder. "Can you go with me to the fair tonight? I need some pictures of that new roller coaster for the morning edition."

"Sure thing, Ms. Grant," Jimmy called. The woman looked at Clark.

"Cat Grant," she said. It took Clark a second to realize that she was introducing herself.

"Clark Kent," he stumbled. The two men watched her go back to her desk.

"So," Jimmy said. "What time is your appointment?"

Clark looked at his watch. "About ten minutes ago."

Jimmy smiled. "You don't care too much about first impressions. Do you?"

"My train was late," Clark explained.

"It's alright, CK," Jimmy said. "You're like me. You've got a little pull with the editor. I nearly married her. Remember?"

"Oh, I remember," Clark said. "I was at the wedding."

"That was quite the fiasco," Jimmy said with a sly grin.

"Yeah," Clark said. "I never did get to tell you how sorry that I was about that."

"Don't be sorry," Jimmy said. "We were never really a great pair. Well, you'd

better get in there," Jimmy said. He nodded at the office at the top of the stairs that overlooked all of the other desks. "She's been asking about you."

Clark shook Jimmy's hand and headed up the stairs. He knocked on the door. An irritated female voice screamed for him to come in. He opened the door and found Chloe Sullivan looking out the window and arguing loudly with someone over a headset.

"Look, Brian," she said. "I don't give two craps about what you've got to do to make it happen. If Baxter wants to get his name out there it'll have to be with the Daily Planet. The only other paper in town is the Inquisitor. Nobody that reads that thing is going to be voting in the election. What? Whatever, Brian. I've got people here. I've got to go."

She pulled the headset from her head and turned. Clark could see that the past few years had put a few lines on her face, but she was just as beautiful as she had always been.

"You're late," she said.

Clark smiled. "You haven't seen me in six years and you're going to reprimand me for being late?"

"I'm sorry, Clark," she said. She made her way around her desk and embraced him. It had been a long time since they had seen each other. Chloe had finally married Jimmy and had since stopped getting herself into trouble. Clark had not had to rescue her in nearly a decade. "It's good to see you"

"It's good to see you, too?" Clark said. "So, you're the chief editor of the Daily Planet, and the youngest one that they've ever had."

"That's right," Chloe said with a smile. "And we've double our circulation since I

took over."

"That's great, Chloe," he replied.

Almost faster than she had smiled, she changed back into the hard nosed editor that she had been when he had come in. "You're late."

"So I've heard," Clark said with a grin.

"This is serious, Clark," she said. "You finished your journalism degree only two weeks ago. I should be making you an intern, not a full fledged reporter. I'm doing you a huge favor and you come in late on your first day."

"I'm sorry, Chloe," he said. "I haven't been to the city in years. I wasn't sure of what train to use."

"This is coming from a man that wrote to me four years ago to tell me that he had learned that he could fly like a bird," Chloe said.

Clark had to give her that one. She had been the second person that had found out, since his mom had been there when it happened. He had been on the roof of the farmhouse, putting down new shingles. Martha had come outside to bring him some iced tea. He slipped on his way to the ladder, fell off of the roof, and braced himself for an impact with the ground. When it never came and he opened his eyes, he found that he was floating several feet off of the ground. Since then he had become quite the accomplished flyer.

"I'm trying to survive without using my abilities," Clark said. "It's one thing to use them back home in Smallville where they may not be another soul around for miles. But here, I can't turn around without seeing someone."

"Well, you'd better make one hell of a reporter," Chloe said. "I'm sending you out with Lois."

"Lois?" Clark asked.

Chloe smiled. "Yeah," she said. "You remember Lois. Don't you?"

"Of course I remember her, Chloe," Clark said, his cheeks beginning to turn pink.

"Yeah," Chloe said. "You two started to have a little thing going for a while."

"We did not," Clark said. "We went out a couple of times. But she was all set to get back to Metropolis. And after Lex tried to buy our farm out from under us, I couldn't leave."

"Whatever became of that, anyway?" Chloe asked.

"Mom finally decided to sell," Clark said. "I think that they're going to put in a strip mall or something. We signed the papers last week."

"I'm sorry, Clark," Chloe said. "I know that it meant a lot to you to keep the farm going."

"I'm not a farmer," Clark said. "I was fooling myself by thinking that I'd be happy running that place. Mom's too busy with the election."

"Well," Chloe said. "If you ask me, she's going to make a wonderful senate majority leader."

"You bet she will," Clark said. "Anyway, where are you sending Lois and I?"

"To the airport," Chloe said. "There's a new plane that 's been developed by NASA that's supposed to be shown off to the press today. They say that it can go into a low orbit around the earth, making flights shorter. It's called the Constitution."

Clark pulled a small pad of paper out of his jacket pocket and jotted some things down on it.

"Constitution?" he asked.

"Yeah," Chloe said. She looked at his paper and pencil. "You really do things the old fashioned way. Don't you?"

"It's the only way to go," Clark said.

Chloe opened the door of her office and stepped out onto the balcony. She looked out over the people that had stopped what they were doing to hear what she would say.

"Where's Lois Lane?" she asked.

"I'm right here, Chief," came a voice from below. Lois stepped out from behind her desk and started up the stairs. She stopped halfway up when she looked at who was at the top. "Clark?"

"Hi, Lois," he replied.

"Long time, no see," Lois said.

"I've been meaning to call you," Clark said.

"Have you?" she asked.

"Sure," Clark said. Lois had made it all the way to the top and was standing just inches from him. He did not know what it was, but she made him very nervous. He had noticed it when he had gone out with her. She had never had that effect on him before that. The only woman that had ever made him this nervous was…

"How's Lana?" Lois asked.

"I'm sorry?" Clark replied.

"Lana Lang," Lois said. "I figured she was the reason that you stayed in Smallville."

"No, she's not," Clark said, a hint of defensiveness in his voice. "I stayed in Smallville to try and save the Kent farm. Lana remarried, if you must know."

"Who did she marry?" Lois asked.

"Pete Ross," Chloe offered.

"Who?" Lois asked.

"He's an old friend of ours," Chloe said. "You never met him. He moved back to Smallville a few years ago and he hit it off with Lana."

"Well, I guess anyone's better than Lex Luthor," Lois said. "I'm sorry, Smallville. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings."

"It's okay," Clark said. "I just don't want you to think that I chose another woman over you."

"Oh?" Lois asked.

"Yes," Clark said. "Because I didn't. I wouldn't have…" Lois and Chloe both looked expectantly at Clark and waited for him to finish. He made a nervous grunting noise and pushed his glasses up on his nose. "So, Lois and I are covering the Constitution?"

"Chloe!" Lois yelled.

"That's Ms. Sullivan or Chief," Chloe said.

"Why are you making me share the article with Clark?" Lois asked.

"Oh, Lois," Chloe said. "It's just a stupid techno piece."

"It may be a piece of crap," Lois said. "But until now it was going to be my piece of crap with my name on it all by itself."

"I want Clark to get his feet wet with someone that has some experience," Chloe said.

"He's been writing for that Mayberry rag for years," Lois said.

"That's the Smallville Gazette," Clark said.

"Of course it is," Lois said. "Don't you have a dog show or a skiing squirrel that he can cut his teeth on?"

"No," Chloe said. "I don't. Now, the exhibition begins at ten-thirty. If you are going to get there on time, you'd better leave now." She looked at Clark. "And you'd better get there on time."

"Chloe," Lois started again.

"Don't Chloe me," she replied. "Get down there." She opened the door to her office and turned to Clark again. "Would you like to come to my place for dinner tonight? We have a lot of catching up to do."

Clark nodded and Chloe closed the door, undoubtedly going back to screaming at someone on her headset again. Clark turned to Lois and gave her a sheepish smile.

"I guess it's just me and you," he said.

"Don't remind me," Lois said, rolling her eyes. "Well, come on, Smallville. We'd better get going if we're going to get a seat on the plane."

"A seat?" Clark asked.

"Yes," Lois said. "So we can go on the flight. You don't think that I want to watch this thing from the ground. Do you?"

"Of course not," Clark said. "I just have a thing about heights."

"Good God, Kent," she said as she trounced back down the stairs toward the door. "You haven't changed a bit."

Clark gave her a knowing glance. He pushed his glasses up on his nose and followed her down the stairs. Lois snapped a finger at Jimmy on her way out. He grabbed his camera and joined them as they went out to the street.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

The airport was more crowded than Clark had ever remembered seeing it. There were more people here to witness the first flight of the new space plane than there had been when the president had spoken there a few years back. Clark looked around at the swarms of people as their taxi pulled into the press parking area. He would not be able to turn around without bumping into someone.

"I'm going to find someone to get us on that plane," Lois said. She looked at Clark. "Are you coming?"

"No," Clark said. "Really, I'd rather stay on the ground."

"Smallville, you're never going to get a story if you don't take some chances," she said.

"I leave the risk taking to you, Lois," he replied. "That really not my style of reporting."

Lois sighed and disappeared into the crowd. Jimmy looked at his camera and then looked at the airfield. The USS Constitution was sitting there, looking bigger than life. It was surrounded by security guards.

"Hey, CK," Jimmy said. "I'm going to go and try and get some pictures of that thing before they get started."

"That sounds good, Jim," Clark said. Jimmy smiled and nodded, and then he vanished as well. Clark took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. He looked again at all of the people. There were probably more people at this one little portion of the Metropolis airport than there were in all of Smallville. He sighed. "What have I gotten myself into?"

"Clark!" He looked up to find Lois running back toward him, waving her arms. "They've got two spots left for the press. They said that we could have them."

"Lois," Clark said. "I told you. I don't want to go up in that thing."

"Fine," she said. "But don't get lost. I want to get back to the Planet as soon as this thing is over with. I've got a story to write."

Clark shook his head as she stormed off. He knew that she thought that he was a wimp. Everyone that he met probably thought that he was a wimp. When he had decided to move to Metropolis, he had decided that his days of being a hero would be over. He had lost so much over the years trying to keep the secret of his abilities. He had come to the conclusion that he would make a new life for himself. And this new life would not require him to be super fast or super strong. He could just be a normal guy. But in order to do that, he had to come up with this personality that was a tad on the clumsy and cowardly side. He wanted to be sure that he was not put into situations where he would be tempted to use his powers.

"_Ladies and Gentlemen,_" a voice called from the P.A. speakers overhead. Clark turned and saw a woman standing at the podium that had been set up close to the plane. The press began to gather. There was a constant clicking and flashing as the cameras came to life. The woman continued. "_Thank you for coming out to witness the maiden voyage of the USS Constitution. It is the world's first aircraft specifically designed to carry civilian passengers into low orbit, in effect shortening their flight times by nearly half._" There was a lot of applause and the woman gestured gratefully. _"In a moment, we will begin to board the passengers and press that have been chosen for this first trip into low orbit. But first, we must christen the vessel. And for that, we call on the man who has made all of this possible. His company's scientists and money were the fuel to the fire that created this modern marvel. Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the CEO of LexCorp International, Mr. Lex Luthor!_"

Clark looked around as the crowd cheered and finally found him. Lex Luthor was nearly ten years older than he had been the last time that he had seen him. And he looked twice as menacing. He was still as bald as a pool cue, but his muscle mass had nearly doubled. He was a very large and intimidating man. Clark had not spoken to him since he had divorced Lana nearly a decade ago. He had heard a few years later that he had taken over LuthorCorp after his father had passed away. Then he had changed the name of the company to LexCorp, and Clark had not been surprised by his arrogance.

Lex waved to the cheering crowd and stepped over to the waiting microphone. The people became quiet and waited for what he was about to say.

"_I don't want to take much time,_" he said. "_I know that everyone is excited to see just how this impressive piece of machinery is going to operate. Everyone at LexCorp International pride themselves on being at the cutting edge of today's technology. And many of our scientists that are working in this very city, will develop the technology of tomorrow. That is something that you, as citizens of Metropolis, can be extremely proud of._" The crowd roared with applause. "_Now, if you will excuse me, I'm going to join some of our local press and take a spin around the world._"

The crowd cheered again. Lex nodded to a guard that stood by the door to the plane. The man handed him a bottle of champagne and Lex grasped it by the neck. Then he smashed the bottle across the metal of the plane and the crowd, once again, came to life with applause and cheering. Then the guard moved to one side and let Lex board the aircraft. He was followed by a beautiful blonde woman that Clark had never seen before. After that, a group of television, radio, and newspaper reporters began to walk up the steps. Lois was in that group. She looked around and spotted Clark. He waved at her and she smiled.

"You've still got a thing for her. Don't you?"

Clark turned and found Jimmy Olsen back at his side. He looked back at Lois.

"I don't really know what I feel about her, Jimmy," Clark said. "I mean, for years I only cared about Lana. After she split up with Lex, we got together but it just wasn't the same as before. I think that Lois got me on the rebound."

"I had always thought that you two couldn't stand one another," Jimmy said.

"We couldn't," Clark said. "But one night I ran into her in Smallville and we had dinner together. We just clicked."

"And then she left for Metropolis," Jimmy finished.

Clark nodded. "Yeah," he said. "And I couldn't leave the farm. But now my mom is in the US senate and here I am in Metropolis…"

"And she's back to not being able to stand you," Jimmy said with a smile.

Clark laughed. "It seems that way."

"_Once the selected passengers have all boarded the USS Constitution_," the woman said, once she had gotten back to the microphone"_ we will taxi out to the runway and begin our flight. We will demonstrate with a short trip to Paris and back again to Metropolis. You will see that a trip that would normally take nearly twenty hours or more will only take a little more than one hour on our new space plane._"

A reporter near the stage raised her hand and the woman gestured to her.

"How does the plane work?" she said. "What makes the trip so much shorter?"

"_Instead of going from point a to point b, the Constitution ascends until it actually leaves the atmosphere of the earth, placing in into low orbit around the planet. It then reenters the atmosphere over the appropriate destination and lands. Today's trip to Paris will take a little more than thirty minutes. And then the plane will return. Here, at the Metropolis International Airport, you will be able to see what goes on during the flight by watching the monitors that we have set up here at this terminal. You will see the pilots in the cockpit, as well as the passengers in the cabin._"

"With Lex Luthor backing this project I would normally say to stay as far away as possible," Jimmy said. "Chloe's always suspected him of being less than honest."

"But he wouldn't get on the plane if he believed that there was any danger in it," Clark said. "At least, I don't think that he would."

"He looks like he's been hitting the gym pretty hard," Jimmy replied. "The guy is ripped.

"If he's anything like he was when he lived in Smallville," Clark said, "then he's probably developed a new kind of steroid."

"I wouldn't doubt it," Jimmy said.

The giant airplane's engines came to life and whined as it turned and slowly began its trek toward the runway. As it went, the woman with the microphone continued to give the press statistical information about the aircraft and its engines. Clark learned all about the top of the line engines that would carry the plane into the air. And he heard about the state of the art thrusters that would guide it as it ventured into space. He could not help but grow more and more nervous the closer that the time came for it to lift off. He could not stand the thought of Lois going into space on something that Lex Luthor had signed off on.

"I don't like this, Jimmy," Clark said.

"What's the matter, CK?" Jimmy asked. "You look a little pale."

"This plane that Lois is on," Clark said. "It doesn't feel right."

"She's fine," Jimmy said. "She's having the time of her life. Ms. Lane eats this stuff up. Last week she ran from a volcano in India. She loves it."

Finally, the Constitution made its way down the runway and lifted into the air. Clark focused on it until not even his own telescopic vision could see it anymore. And then he turned to the monitor to see what was happening on board.

"See?" Jimmy said, pointing to the huge screen that had been set up for them. "Everything is fine."

And from all that Clark could see, he was right. The passengers were laughing and talking while the pilots and flight attendants went about their routines as if it were a walk in the park. He could see Lois sitting directly across from Lex Luthor. Judging by their body language, she was doing her best to get a quick interview. If Lex was going to talk to any of the reporters, it would most likely be her. Lois had developed a reputation in Metropolis for not being one to pull punches. And Lex liked that about people. He probably liked to have people like that in his pocket.

"_Ladies and gentlemen,_" came the voice of the pilot over the loud speakers. "_In just a few seconds, I'm going to engage the main thrusters and push the aircraft out of the earth's atmosphere. Once we are in space, we will let the thrusters drop safely back to Earth, and we will make our way across the globe._"

The crowd watched in awe as the thrusters exploded to life and the plane soared until the blue sky faded to black. Once the pilot verified that they were indeed in space there was a loud roar as the audience cheered. On the screen the reporters were laughing as their hair floated around them in the zero gravity cabin.

The pilot explained that he was disengaging the thrusters and pressed a few buttons. There was a loud crash and a crunching noise that came from the screen. Then the image shook violently and even blinked out before coming back on. There were a few screams, both from the plane and from the audience.

"_Constitution, is everything alright?_" a voice called out.

"_Negative,_" the pilot responded. "_One of the thrusters came in contact with our right wing. We've lost our primary engine and we are losing fuel."_

"_Constitution,_" the other voice said. "_Are you able to reenter with the secondary engine?_"

"_Negative,_" the pilot said. "_The secondary engine is not responding. We are adrift._"

"I guess you were right, CK," Jimmy said.

Clark looked on as the pilot continued to communicate with the control room. It finally became evident that the plane was going to drift toward the atmosphere and reenter it without being under any control. When that happened, the vessel would crash.

Clark looked on in terror. He saw Lois' face on the screen. She was horrified.

The plane began to descend toward the earth. The audience watched as the air outside the windows of the plane turned a bluish red with the heat of reentry. The passengers were screaming.

"Jimmy," Clark said without even glancing at him. "I'll be right back. I'm going to go and call Chloe."

"Alright, CK," Jimmy said. He did not take his eyes from the screen.

Clark took off his glasses.

End of chapter four

Note:

I know that Perry White is the editor of the Daily Planet. But remember, Waverider only sees a person's possible futures, not necessarily the one that is definite. And just coming in contact with him can change your future. Wikipedia Waverider if you want to know more about him.

Thanks,

Kal-El1K7


	5. Chapter 5: Look! Up In The Sky

Chapter Five: Look! Up In The Sky

Two years ago there was a bus that ran off of the road just outside of Smallville. Clark had just come inside the house to find his mother watching the whole ordeal on the news. The driver had swerved to avoid a car that was being driven by someone who had obviously been drinking. He had lost control of the vehicle and left the pavement. When Clark had come in, the bus was teetering dangerously on the edge of an eighty foot drop to the river below.

Clark's mother had never even seen him leave. He ran all the way to the accident scene and pulled the bus back onto the road. He had luckily been able to get behind the bus, and so was able to save the people on board without being seen by anyone other than a small boy inside. When the people got off the bus, no one believed what the boy said, but they could not explain how they had gotten to safety.

He had been able to use his powers publicly a few times without being seen, but this time it was going to be impossible. The Constitution was only a minute away from crashing right into downtown Metropolis. If he was going to do anything about it, he would have to act fast. He looked around at the crowd of people and all of the reporters. And then there were the television cameras that would send images of him to everyone in the world. His secret would be out.

He thought of his father. What would he want him to do? Jonathan Kent had died protecting Clark's secret. Would he want him to display his abilities to the entire world, and risk spending the rest of his life in a glass box to be studied like a rat?

He did not have a choice. He could not let all of those people die when he knew that he could probably do something about it. He slipped behind one of the news vans and pulled off his jacket and tie, dropping them to the ground.

"Here goes nothing," he said. He leaped off of the ground and let his body soar upward, gaining speed as he went. He heard the crowd below him gasp and scream as they fell further and further away. Soon, there was a loud boom as he broke the sound barrier. Only a few seconds after he had left the ground, he saw it.

Both of the wings were in flames as the plane dropped toward the ground like a rock. Clark flew to the aircraft and lay down on the back of it. He pulled up on it and leveled it so that it was not in a nose dive. What was left of the wings buffeted the air, slowing the descent by a fraction. Clark smashed his fist into the top of the plane and ripped open the cockpit.

"What the…" the pilot said. "How the hell'd you get up there?"

"I'm taking you down," Clark said. "Just guide the plane like normal. We're going back to the airport!"

The pilot nodded. Clark dropped off of the top of the plane and flew around so that he was underneath it. He shoved his body upward into the hull, denting it as he lifted with all of his strength. After a few seconds, the plane stopped falling and rested entirely on his shoulders. Clark grunted and began a slow descent down toward the ground.

Clark had never held this much weight before. He thought that he had tested his abilities to their limits. But it seemed that when he thought that a task was going to be too much for him to take on, his strength adapted to accommodate him. Even now, as he carried an aircraft that was at least twice the size of a 747, he could feel the load getting lighter as his body grew accustomed to it.

He broke through the clouds and saw the criss crossed pattern of the terrain below him. He could see the thin black line that was the runway at the airport. He maneuvered himself in that direction. Soon, he could make out the image of people below. Then he saw how crazed they were with excitement. There were police cars across the runway that blocked the reporters and other members of the crowd from passing. But he could tell that they would swarm him as soon as they could.

He finally landed at the other end of the airport. He carefully set the plane down on the ground and allowed the end of it to drop. There was a crash and the people at the other end of the runway cheered. He looked up and saw that they had barreled past the police and were quickly headed in his direction. He did not think that anyone other than the pilot had seen his face. This would be his only chance to avoid the publicity.

Clark dashed away, quicker than anyone could see. He got back to the news van where he had left his jacket and tie and quickly put them back on. He retrieved his glasses and slid them onto his face. Then he ran back to the crowd and stood behind Jimmy. The reporters and spectators watched as a fire truck rushed in and put out the flames on the wings. Then the police started banging on the door.

"Where'd he go?" one of the reporters asked as they all reached the plane. "He was right here."

Clark stepped forward and banged his hand on the door of the plane. "Hello?" he called. "Is everyone alright?"

After a moment the door hissed and then opened. One of the flight attendants was standing in the doorway.

"Miss," a reporter called. "Is anyone hurt?"

"Not as far as we can tell," she replied. "A few passengers lost consciousness as we came down. But all of us are stunned. We can't understand what caused us to fall so slowly."

She stepped aside and allowed the passengers to begin climbing out of the plane. Without the wings and the landing gear the aircraft sat low enough so that they hardly had to do more than just step out. Clark reached out and took them by the hand, one by one, and helped them step down to the ground.

"Didn't you see him?" Jimmy called out to the flight attendant.

"See who?" the woman asked.

"There was a man that flew up there and brought the plane down with his own hands," he called.

The woman looked put out. "This is hardly the time…"

"He's telling the truth," a policeman said from nearby.

Clark tried to ignore the banter. By that time Lois had made it to the door and looked out to find Clark standing there.

"Clark," she said, still bewildered by the whole ordeal.

"Lois," he said. "Are you alright?"

"I think so," she said. "I passed out for a few minutes. How did we…" She stopped talking and listened to the conversation going on among the reporters. "Is that true?"

Clark helped her down and shook his head. "I didn't see anything. I was trying to find a phone to call Chloe."

Lois jerked her head and glared at him. "What? Why? Were you trying to scoop me, Clark?"

"No, Lois," he replied. "Of course not. But there was a lot going on and I…"

"You thought that I was about to die so you were going to take over my story," Lois said. "I thought that I meant more to you than that, Mr. Kent."

"Whoa!" Clark looked up at the sound of the new voice. It was Lex Luthor. He stepped out of the plane and went to where they stood. "Calm down, Ms. Lane. You've barely been a survivor for five minutes and you're ready to kill a fellow reporter."

"Good to see you, Lex," Clark said icily. Lex looked at him blankly for a moment before recognition finally showed in his face.

"Clark Kent," he said, almost as coldly. "I didn't recognize you. You're wearing glasses now." Clark nodded.

"Lex," Lois said. "What the hell happened up there?"

"Well," Lex said. "The pilot tells me that a man in his mid thirties grabbed the plane like a sack of dirt and brought it down." He looked knowingly at Clark. "Was it anything like that, Clark?"

"He wouldn't know," Lois said. "He was too busy calling the editor when he saw us going down in flames."

"Lois, that's not true," he replied.

"Well you can have the Constitution story," Lois said. "I'm going to find out more about this flying man. Jimmy! Did you get any pictures?" She stormed off leaving Clark and Lex standing there.

"So, you're sure that you didn't see a thing?" Lex asked. Clark shook his head.

"Nothing," he replied.

"Too bad," Lex said. He looked Clark up and down and smiled. "You'll have to excuse me, Clark. I need to get my security detail on this right away."

Clark nodded. Lex walked away. A moment later, Jimmy stepped over beside him and Clark noticed that Lois was busy yelling into her cell phone.

"You've had one heck of a first day, CK," Jimmy said. "Ms. Lane is really pissed at you."

"It wouldn't be the first time," Clark said. He sighed. "I guess we need to get back to the Planet." When he turned to walk back to the parking area he noticed the pilot that he had spoken to in the air talking to a bunch of reporters.

"He just ripped the top of the plane open with his bare hands," he was saying. "And he told me that he was going to take us down. And he did. He carried the plane all the way to the ground on his back."

"But, how is that possible?" a man asked him.

"I don't know," the pilot replied. "I've seen a lot of weird stuff in the air. Especially when I'm flying in this part of the country. But I'm telling you that a man flew like a bird up there and saved all of our lives.

Clark smiled.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

"Lois, would you stop for a minute?" Chloe said. She stood across from Lois' desk, watching the other woman type furiously on her keyboard. "You're not writing anything for this paper until you tell me what happened."

"Turn on CNN," Lois said. "They've already started reporting it. They've been reporting it for over an hour. I've got to get started if I'm going to make the evening edition."

"Lois," Chloe said. "Just slow down. I've never seen you like this before."

"Check it out, Chief," Jimmy said, picking up the remote and flipping the channel on the big screen television that nearly took up an entire wall of the bull pen. Chloe looked up and saw the image that the CNN camera guy had captured at the press conference. There was the Constitution, its wings blazing, slowly descending from the clouds.

"_Now, this is the image of the USS Constitution as the crowd saw it,_" the reporter was saying."_Most of the witnesses claim that they had seen a man lift off from the ground, unaided by any sort of flying machine, and soar out of visual range only a few moments before. When the plane reappeared, you can see exactly why the witnesses were so amazed._"

The frame zoomed in as tight as it could get on the small figure at the bottom of the plane. There was definitely a man with the weight of the aircraft resting on his shoulders.

"_Folks, I assure you that we are not using any trick photography,_" the man said. "_This video has not been altered in any way. There is a flying man with an incredible amount of strength here in Metropolis. And there are some people at Metropolis International that are very grateful for him._"

Chloe turned with her eyes wide and glared at Clark.

"Clark," Chloe said. "Could I see you in my office for a minute? Please?"

She turned and ran up the stairs to her office.

"Sure, Chloe," Clark replied. And he followed her. Once there, Chloe turned on her heels.

"Close the door," she said. He closed the door and smiled. He knew what was coming. "Are you out of your mind?"

"Chloe," he said. "I didn't have a choice."

"What do you mean you didn't have a choice?" Chloe asked. "Whether or not you get cancer means that you don't have a choice. Whether or not you fly around in front of a half billion people is a whole lot different."

"I was careful," Clark said. "No one saw my face."

"No one?" Chloe asked.

"No one except for the pilot," Clark replied. "I talked to him."

"Clark, you used to be so careful," Chloe said. "It's no different now. They'd lock you up in a heartbeat. They'd probe you for the rest of your life. And Lex Luthor would be right there in the middle of them."

"What could I do?" Clark said. "That plane was going down. It was either going to burn up on reentry or it was going to crash. And when it did it would have done it in the middle of downtown. So not only would it have killed a few dozen reporters, but thousands of citizens as well. I saved a lot of lives today."

"You're right," Chloe said. "You couldn't just stand there and let them all die."

"No," Clark said. "I couldn't. I was careful, though. I took off my jacket and my glasses."

"What's so special about your glasses?" Chloe asked.

"Didn't I tell you about them?" Clark said. He took them off and looked at her.

"Whoa," she said. "You look completely different!"

"You don't have to be sarcastic," Clark said.

"No, I'm serious," Chloe said. "I mean, I know who you are. But if I didn't, I'd swear that you were a different person."

"Good," Clark said. "I was wondering if they actually worked."

Chloe took the glasses from him and examined them. "What's so special about them?"

"Well," Clark said. "Do you remember what happened about a year ago? When those two kids got trapped in their house after it caught on fire?"

"Yeah," Chloe said. "The man of steel saved the day."

"Yeah, I did," Clark said. "But the kids saw my face and they told everyone that they saw me jump two stories and burst through their bedroom wall. No one believed them, of course. But they just as easily could have. Professor Hamilton made those glasses for me. He used glass from the pod that carried me to Earth."

"What does it do?" Chloe asked.

"It has a mild hypnotic effect on humans," Clark replied. "It makes it harder to recognize my face when I'm not wearing them. Especially if you don't get a very good look at me."

"So you don't think that the pilot will recognize you if you're wearing these?" Chloe asked.

"He could," Clark said. "But only if he studied me and if he suspected it to begin with."

"_Ms. Sullivan,_" a voice called from the speaker on Chloe's telephone. "_Mr. Olsen has his pictures ready for the evening edition. He wants you to take a look at them._"

"Send him in," Chloe said. She handed the glasses back to Clark and he slipped them back onto his face.

The door opened and Jimmy stepped into the office. He lay a spread of various color photographs down on the desk. All of them had very blurry images of the space plane being carried toward the ground by a fuzzy flying man.

"These are terrible, Jimmy," she said.

"What do you mean?" Jimmy responded. "They're just as good as the video that they're showing on TV..."

"I know," Chloe said. "But we're supposed to be better than they are. This is the Daily Planet. I can't even make out what these are supposed to be."

"That's him, right there," Jimmy said, pointing at one of the pictures.

"Where?" Clark asked.

"Look!" Jimmy said, pointing with enthusiasm. "Up in the sky."

"It's a bird," Chloe said.

"It's a plane," Clark added.

"No," Jimmy said. "Look! It's…really blurry."

"Find me something better than these," Chloe said. Jimmy nodded and walked out of the room. Chloe turned back to Clark. "I kept your picture out of the paper. But someone had to have gotten a good shot of your face. If they did, it will turn up soon enough and someone is bound to recognize you."

"I know," Clark said. "I've got my fingers crossed. Thanks."

"Clark," Chloe said. "I'm your friend and I want to protect you. But you know that I have to let Lois write her story. This is the number one paper in the country and you're the number one story right now. I have to do my job."

"I know," Clark said. "It's okay."

"We'll talk about this some more at dinner tonight," Chloe said. "Be there at eight."

"I'm looking forward to it," Clark said. He turned and headed toward the door.

"Oh," Chloe said. "And Clark?" He turned back to her. "Try to keep your feet on the ground until then."

Clark Kent smiled at her. "I will."

End of chapter five.

Note:

Yes, Waverider is showing Clark a future that looks a lot like the movies. But this is not canon Superman. For one thing, I've changed the origins a bit. But more than that, this is a version of the future that could change as a result of Waverider's observance. Therefore, characters such as Chloe can exist regardless of the fact that they don't exist in the comics. Also, major characters in the Superman canon can die. Keep that in mind.

I hope that my image of Lex came across the way that I intended. Smallville Lex is very much like the comic version. He is a wealthy business man that funds a lot of experiments that he can never be connected to. That is the Lex that I tried to portray. Not like the Gene Hackman/Kevin Spacey version that is just a criminal mastermind with a fetish for real estate. Anyway, Lex will be back in the story soon.

I hope you guys are enjoying the story so far. And I want to let you all know that once it is complete I will begin work on "Elseworlds: Book Two".

Thanks for taking the time to read my story.

Kal-El2K7


	6. Chapter 6: The Shield

Chapter Six: The Shield

Clark could smell the stench on burnt meat as soon as the elevator doors opened. He walked down the hallway, hoping that the smell was not coming from Chloe's apartment. When he had finally reached her door he had no doubt. She had burnt the dinner. He laughed silently to himself. He tuned his ears to the other side of the door. He could hear her scampering back and forth, cursing silently to herself. He heard the flapping sound of a dishtowel that was probably being use to fan smoke out of the kitchen, and the irritating beeping of a smoke alarm.

"Same old Chloe," he said to himself. He set his briefcase down beside the door and walked over to the staircase. He burst into supersonic speed and ran down the street to a little Italian restaurant that he had passed on the way there. He ordered a large pepperoni pizza and a bottle of red wine. He zipped back up to the apartment and picked up his briefcase. Then he knocked on the door.

Chloe opened the door. Her hair was messed up and her face was flushed. When she found Clark standing in the hallway holding a pizza and a bottle of wine she laughed.

"How did you know?" she asked.

"I'm a reporter," Clark said. "It's my job to know."

Chloe smiled and Clark stepped inside. He handed her the wine and he set his briefcase down on the sofa.

"It's still hot," Chloe said. "How long ago did you pick this up?"

"About thirty seconds ago," Clark replied. "You've got a nice place."

"Thanks," she said. "Clark, I thought you told me that you came to Metropolis to start a new life. You said that you didn't want to use your abilities anymore."

"I said that my life would be easier if I didn't use my abilities anymore," Clark said. "That's why I started wearing glasses and acting clumsy all the time. I wanted to give off a completely different impression. I wanted to be unassuming and mild mannered."

"You accomplished that," Chloe said with a smile. "You came off as a dork." She set the wine down on the table and picked up the evening edition of the Daily Planet. She showed it to him. "But it's not you, Clark. This is you. This is the Clark Kent that I knew back in Smallville. This is the man of steel."

Clark took the paper from her and looked at it. On the front page was the now famous picture of him carrying the Constitution to safety. Above the picture was the headline "SPACE PLANE SAVED BY A SUPER MAN!". He smiled.

"Super man?" he asked.

"Lois came up with it," Chloe said. "At first she wanted it to be your name. Like Superman, or something. The way that she named the Green Arrow."

"I've been thinking about that," Clark said.

"About what?" Chloe asked.

"What you just said about this new persona not being me," he replied. "You're right. And I think that I knew that all along. I had an idea that it wasn't going to work when I decided to try it. I've always been a magnet for people in trouble. No matter how hard I try to live without using my abilities, there's always a reason that I need them."

"I know that you've saved my life a few times," Chloe said. "Lois and Lana would have to say the same thing."

"I'm not human," Clark said. "That's not who I am. I'm from another planet. And this planet's sun gives me powers that are beyond belief. The fact that I'm not able to use them is keeping me from being myself. Even when I do use them, I have to worry about being seen."

"Well, don't start getting ideas about using your powers in front of people," Chloe said. "Lex would have you locked up in some kind of facility so fast your super human head would spin."

"I'm not worried about Lex," Clark said. "But I came up with something." He lifted his briefcase from the sofa and set it down on the table. He unlocked the latches and opened it. Inside, Chloe saw a mass of red and blue fabric. She started to pick it up and look at it. Then she realized what it was that she was seeing.

"A costume?" she asked. "You want to start wearing a costume?"

"Why not?" Clark asked. "It's not like it hasn't been done before."

"The only people who wear these crime fighter costumes are a bunch of vigilante freaks that cause more problems than they solve. Like Oliver Queen."

"Oliver Queen has been keeping crime out of Edge City for years," Clark said. "And don't forget about Bart and Arthur."

"The Flash and Aquaman," Chloe said. "I know all about them. I'm the editor of the Planet. Remember? But most of these guys are just as wanted as the criminals that they go after."

"That's because the public doesn't understand what they're doing," Clark said. "But look at Gotham City. That guy that they call Batman has been appearing all over the place for over two years. The police embraced him and the crime rate has dropped by nearly half. He's effective. I could be, too."

"I think that you've lost your mind, Clark," Chloe said.

"Think about it, Chloe," Clark replied. "I could keep up this nervous reporter act and I could be myself when I'm in the costume. As long as no one sees me without my glasses when not in costume then I wouldn't even have to wear a mask. I could use my powers to help people and I wouldn't have to hide."

"And what would you do?" Chloe asked. "Patrol the world and save everyone in trouble?"

"No," Clark said. "I'm only one person. I'd stay here in Metropolis and work for you. But if something happened, I could go and help."

"You've thought about this a lot," Chloe said.

"I've been thinking about this ever since I met Oliver," Clark said. "I just never really thought that I'd do it."

"You made a costume," Chloe said.

"Lana made it, actually," Clark said. "Let me put it on and you can tell me what you think." Chloe nodded and Clark stepped into the bathroom. No less than three seconds later he was stepping back out again. This time he was wearing a form fitting blue outfit with red shorts over it. He had on a yellow belt and a red flowing cape that extended well past his knees. He took off his glasses and set them down on a table by the wall.

"What's the S for?" Chloe asked.

Clark looked down. Emblazoned on his chest was a diamond shape with a large red "S" in the center of it. The pattern was repeated in yellow on the back of his cape.

"It's not really an S," Clark said. "It's a symbol that I found in the cave back in Smallville. It's the crest of my family back on Krypton. The house of El."

"Well it goes perfect with your name," Chloe said.

"My name?" Clark asked.

"Superman," Chloe said. "That's what we're going to start calling you. What were you planning on being called?"

"I don't know," Clark said. "I hadn't thought about that."

Chloe's cell phone rang. She got it out of her purse and answered it.

"Hello?" she said. Clark watched her as she talked. "Where? How long has it been going on? Are you on your way there? Okay, call me back."

"What's wrong?" Clark asked.

Chloe ignored his question and flipped the television on. Soon Clark knew exactly what was wrong. On the screen he saw images of the county fair that were being shot from a helicopter. The fair grounds were on the edge of the city and overlooked a huge lake. There was a roller coaster that was flying along its track. The voice of a reporter could be heard over the whirring of the helicopter.

"_From up here it's hard to tell that anything below us is out of the ordinary,_" he was saying. "_But we are being told that the new roller coaster has begun to go out of control. It is not responding to the emergency controls and it is moving much faster than it is designed for. Engineers are telling us that if it moves much faster it could possibly come away from the track. If that happens it will either fall to the ground below, or it will be hurled into the lake. Either option will cause a tremendous loss of life and serious injuries. Fair ground management has attempted to cut the power, but it has not yet worked. For some reason the roller coaster is not responding._"

"That was Jimmy on the phone," Chloe said. "He said that Cat Grant is on that coaster." Clark moved across the room in a blink and opened the window balcony door. "Where are you going?"

"To make a debut," Clark said. He stepped out onto the balcony and climbed up onto the railing.

"Clark!" Chloe yelled. "If you do this, there's no going back. Someone is going to see your face and if they recognize you…"

"Its okay, Chloe," Clark said. "This is what I was meant to do." He stepped out and dropped off of the side of the building. A second later Chloe saw him rising again and soaring off in the direction of the lake.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Jimmy Olsen looked on helplessly as he was pushed back and forth by the crazed crowd. They were all watching in horror as the roller coaster sailed along the track. With each pass it got faster and faster. The screams of the people on board could be heard all over the fairgrounds. The other rides had all stopped a while ago and the men that controlled them had converged at the roller coaster. They were trying everything that they could to make the coaster stop. But it just grew faster.

"There's got to be something that we can do," Jimmy heard one of the men say.

"We've already tried cutting the power," another man said. "But now that thing's going so fast that if the magnets in the track was to be shut off, it'd fly away!"

Jimmy stepped over. His camera was still hanging around his neck, although he could not imagine taking pictures of this even. Not while Cat was trapped up there. He looked over the men's shoulders.

"You guys can't just stand there and watch these people die," he said.

"There's nothing that we can do, pal," one of them replied. Then, Jimmy heard a woman scream.

"He's going to jump out!"

Jimmy looked up in time to see a young man that was trapped on the runaway coaster free himself of his restraints and try to jump into the lake. He could not keep his foot as the train whizzed around a tight corner and he fell, headed straight for the pavement nearly two hundred feet below. There were a hundred screams from the crowd and most everyone closed their eyes. The people that did missed what happened next. There was a streak of blue and red that shot underneath the tracks and the man vanished before he could reach his doom. A moment later Jimmy saw a man dressed in a skin tight outfit of the same color and a cape that whipped around him in the wind. In his arms was a man that looked as if he was as frightened as a child.

BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB

Clark skimmed the top of the water as fast as he could go. Human eyes would only be able to see a streak of color if they saw anything at all. Behind him was nothing but the roar of his supersonic flight and the ripples in the water left in his wake.

Things that were happening played out in slow motion compared to how other people saw it. When he reached the fair grounds he saw a man falling very slowly from the ride. He flew beneath him and grabbed him a few feet from the ground. The man looked up at him and nearly passed out. Clark slowed down and settled to the ground among the anxious crowd. They all stared at him in complete disbelief.

Clark looked down at the man. "It's alright," he said. "You're safe now."

"Thank you," the man said. Then they both looked up at the roller coaster that was still getting faster. "The wheels started to come off the track the last time around. If it gets any faster…"

"Don't worry," Clark told him. "I'll take care of it."

Clark lifted himself off the ground and glided to the top of the coaster tracks. The train cars were at the lowest point right now. It would be a few more seconds before they reached him. He grabbed hold of the tracks and looked down at them intensely. Heat poured out of his eyes and focused on the metal. It melted and he was able to tear the track free and maneuver it so that it was pointed away from the crowd. Then he flew down below the track and waited.

When the coaster reached the part of the track that he had destroyed, the train ramped into the air and started to fly toward the lake. Clark flew beneath the cars and grabbed them. There was a jerk and the people on board screamed. Then he turned and dropped toward the ground at a slow and steady pace.

The crowd cleared out of his way and he planted his feet firmly on the ground. Then he set one end of the coaster down, followed by the other. He stepped back and tried to take all of them in. He used his x-ray vision to verify that no one was seriously hurt. He nodded and smiled. There were about twenty people on board, and all of them were absolutely terrified.

"Everyone seems to be alright," Clark said. "Is anyone hurt?" All of them stared at him with dumbfounded expressions on their faces. A few of them shook their heads. "Good." He turned to the men that had been working on getting the coaster shut down. "I'm sorry about the track." He winced at a flash of light to his left. He looked and saw Jimmy taking pictures.

"It's alright," one of them said. "Who are you, anyway?"

"I'm Superman," Clark said with a smile. He rose into the air and slowly began to glide out toward the lake. The Metropolis skyline was lit up in front of him.

"Hey, Superman!" Clark looked back down and saw Cat Grant waving at him. He lifted his eyebrows in response. "Thank you."

"Yeah," someone else said. "Thanks, a lot."

The crowd became peppered with words of thanks. Clark took in a deep breath, overcome with emotion. He was finally able to do something with his abilities besides hide them.

"You're welcome," he replied. Then he turned and headed off toward Metropolis.

CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC

Mercy stood on top of a ridge that overlooked the fairgrounds. She cursed to herself and pulled her cell phone from her pocket. She quickly scrolled through the menu to the name that she needed and pressed the send button. When the voice answered on the other end there were no formalities.

"_I saw,_" the voice said.

"What do you want us to do now?" Mercy asked.

"_Where is your sister?_" the voice asked.

"She's in the crowd," Mercy replied. "Where you wanted her."

"_Get her and come back here,_" the man said. "_You failed._"

"It wasn't our fault, sir," Mercy argued. "How were we supposed to know that there'd be a freak in tights here tonight?"

"_Get back here,_" the man said. The line went dead.

Mercy cursed again.

End of chapter six.

Note:

I hope you guys are enjoying this story. I really enjoy writing it. I know that the last couple of chapters have kind of resembled canon comic Superman stories, but soon the canon will be gone. It's not going to end canon I can assure you.

Anyway, I wanted to let everyone know that it will be next week before chapter seven comes out. My computer at home is still on the fritz and I can only work on these chapters on my break and at lunch while I'm at work. But I'm constantly working on it in my head.

By the way, I missed the Smallville premiere last night. How was it? Did they introduce Kara yet? I heard that Bizarro Clark was going to be in this season too. That's awesome!

Kal-El2K7


	7. Chapter 7: Lois And Clark

Chapter Seven: Lois And Clark

Chloe Sullivan stepped into the conference room. All of the talking amongst the various reporters that wrote for her paper ceased as soon as she had crossed the threshold. She motioned to someone standing near the door and it was closed behind her. She sat down in the chair at the head of the long table and looked around. There were a lot of reporters here. Some of them wrote the feature articles that appeared on the front page and other portions of the news section. Others wrote editorials. And the rest of them wrote various stories and fluff pieces for other sections. She even thought that she saw a few of the comic strip writers in here. There were so many of them that every chair in the room had been taken and there were at least fifteen people left standing along the walls.

"I don't usually call everyone together for a meeting," Chloe said. "Usually, a memo would be enough to let everyone know what's going on. But there's a story that's being covered right now that is the number one story in the world. And it's about something that's going on in our own back yard. I'm talking about the person that saved all of those people at the fair last night." 

"Superman," Lois said.

"Excuse me?" Chloe asked.

"All of the witnesses say that he called himself Superman," she replied.

"Yes, I heard that," Chloe said. "Which tells me that, whoever he is, he's reading this paper." She saw Lois smile at that. "Anyway, I want us to cover this story. But I don't want a bunch of hero sightings. The Inquisitor's front page has all sorts of blurry photographs that they claim are of this guy from around the world. They all look light airplanes and Frisbees to me."

"So, what angle do you want us to take?" Cat Grant asked.

"The news angle," Chloe said. "You guys are reporters, so get out there and talk to people. What do people think about him? Does anyone know anything about him? Talk to the police. Is he on their side? Is Superman the same guy that saved the Constitution yesterday? Everything!"

"Do you want us to get an interview with him?" Cat Grant asked. "I believe I can."

"Not if I get to him first," Lois said under her breath. She spoke so low that only Clark's ears could pick it up. He smiled.

"He only shows up when he's needed," Chloe said. "And besides that, no one knows who he is. He's one of those costumed heroes like they have in Gotham. He probably has a secret identity."

"I could find out who he is," Lois said confidently.

"You can?" Clark asked, sounding a little too surprised.

Lois looked at him. "You sound surprised, Smallville. I'm pretty resourceful."

"But, how could you do it?" Clark asked.

"I have some buddies over at police HQ," she replied. "A couple of them owe me a favor. I could just take one of the pictures that Jimmy took last night and take it over there. They have facial recognition software that can compare him to every man in Metropolis."

"No," Chloe said, sounding alarmed. Most everyone in the room looked at her in mild surprise.

"Why not, Chloe?" Lois asked. "That's what everyone wants to know."

"Because it isn't right, Lois," Chloe said. "He's hiding his identity for a reason. And as long as he's not doing anything but helping people, the Daily Planet is going to respect that. Do you want to rob our city of a hero as powerful as him?"

"Chloe," Lois started.

"No," Chloe replied. "Remember 9/11? What if that happened here? Don't you think that this guy could have saved a lot of those people?"

"I guess," Lois said. "But we owe it to our readers…"

"Leave that kind of journalism to the Inquisitor," Chloe said. "Now, does anyone have anything else?"

Cat raised her hand and Chloe gave her attention to her.

"The mayor is holding a press conference in an hour over at city hall," Cat said. "They're supposed to announce that they believe the Constitution and the roller coaster were both terrorist attacks."

"Really?" Chloe said. "Why didn't I know about this?"

"I'm telling you now, Chief," Cat replied.

"Okay," Chloe said. "Lois, I want you and Clark to cover the press conference."

"Chloe," Lois said. "Did I do something? Why do you keep tying me to the farm boy anchor?"

"I'm not going to make you share the byline," Chloe said. "You're the best that I've got for press conferences and I want Clark to see you in action."

"But, I'm the one that told you about it," Cat said.

"Yes," Chloe said. "I realize that. But I want you to write a piece about your experience last night for the evening edition. I need it on my desk by three. Okay?"

Cat nodded. "Okay."

"Everyone else," Chloe said, addressing the room. "Do what you always do…but integrate this Superman into it. You're dismissed."

The crowd of writers slowly filed out of the room. Chloe waited in her chair as they left. Lois and Clark were the last in line.

"Are you coming, Smallville?" Lois called.

"I'll be out in a minute," Clark said. "I want to talk to Chloe for a minute."

"I'm hailing a cab," Lois said. "If you're not in it when it leaves, then I'll see you around." She turned and walked out of the room. Clark smiled as she left.

"She hasn't changed a bit," Clark said.

"She's changed a little," Chloe said. "She got over you."

"I didn't have that much effect on her," he replied.

"You had more than you'd think," Chloe said. "When she got here she was in pieces. I really believe that she had fallen in love with you. It took her long enough. You guys had been playing cat and mouse for years."

"Well, I couldn't stand her for a really long time," Clark said.

"But you were always there for her," Chloe said. "She knew that. And you saved her life more times than she even knew about."

"Well, that was the cross that I bore," Clark said with a grin. "Keep a giant secret, and be the guardian of all the pretty girls in Smallville. Yourself included, of course."

Chloe smiled her big toothy grin. "Of course." Clark got up from his seat and moved closer to the desk. "So, you didn't stick around long after you got back from your big debut."

"I'm sorry, Chloe," Clark said. "I guess I ruined our dinner together. I wanted to get back down there in my regular clothes and see what I could do to help."

"Who do you think you're fooling?" Chloe asked. "You wanted to see what everyone was saying about big blue."

Clark smiled. "I suppose that there was a little of that."

"So?" Chloe asked. "What did you hear?"

"Pretty much the same things that everyone is saying today," Clark said. "They're all obsessed with finding out who I am. Just like we all were when Oliver started showing up in his costume."

"I told you that it would be risky," Chloe said. "And not all of the media outlets are going to respect your privacy like the Planet. I'm going to make a few phone calls and see if I can get everyone to agree to let you be who you are. There's enough to talk about without trying to unmask Superman…so to speak."

"And I appreciate that, Chloe," Clark said. "I really do. But, I was thinking about what Lois said. Is there really software out there that can tell who I am?"

"Oh, yeah," Chloe said. "It studies the features of your face in a picture. It measures distances, like how far it is from your right ear to your nose. And it compares it to the police database."

"But I don't have a criminal record," Clark said.

"No," Chloe said. "And the police aren't going to take the time to compare it to every male in Metropolis. But that doesn't mean that no one will."

"Maybe I should have worn a mask," Clark said.

"And hide those blue eyes?" Chloe asked. "Don't be ridiculous. Now, you'd better get going before Lois leaves you."

"I'm going to make that dinner up to you," Clark said.

"I know that you're a man of your word," Chloe said. He walked out to meet Lois on the street.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Clark stepped out the door of the Daily Planet just in time to see Lois waving to him from a taxi that was nearly a block away.

"Maybe next time, Smallville," she yelled.

He nodded. If she wanted to play that way, it was fine with him. He walked down the sidewalk until he reached the alleyway that separated the Planet from the office building next to it. He ducked into it. He could run faster than a person could see, but it would be suspicious if he had suddenly vanished from view in front of all of the people out on the street. He had been able to take chances like that in Smallville, but not here.

Once he was sure that no one would see him, he took off into a full sprint toward city hall. He shot down the streets so fast that he was nothing more than a strong breeze that knocked an old woman's hat off of her head as he went.

He saw Lois' taxi about halfway there and passed it almost as easily as if it had been standing still. When he finally reached city hall less than two minutes after he had left the Planet, he went inside and went to a stall in the men's room. He stopped running and casually stepped back out. There was a man that looked to be in his fifties washing his hands at the sink. He looked up at Clark as he passed.

"Good morning, Judge Simmons," Clark said. "How's your wife?"

"Fine," the older man said. "Thank you."

Clark smiled and stepped out into the massive corridor of the Metropolis City Hall. There was a small platform that was set up outside of the mayor's office and a few TV camera men were setting up their equipment. Clark casually made his way over and took a seat in one of the folding chairs that had been provided.

It was nearly ten minutes before Lois finally stepped in from the street.

"Oh," Clark said, standing up and waving at her innocently. "Hi, Lois. I saved you a seat."

"Clark?" she asked. "How did you…?"

"What?" Clark replied. "Oh! I took a shortcut."

"No, you didn't," Lois said. "I took the shortcut. There wasn't a shorter short cut."

Clark shrugged. "Maybe my driver was better. You should sit down. They're about to start."

Lois took a seat next to him as the other reporters all took their's as well. Television reporter hurriedly greeted their cameras in rushed whispers as the mayor came out of his office and stepped up onto the platform. He addressed the microphones in front of him.

"Good morning," he said. "I don't want to keep you very long. You all know that there was an incident yesterday morning over at MIA where the new space plane that was being shown off nearly crashed after free falling from low orbit. And then last night the new roller coaster at the local fair grounds went out of control and nearly wrecked. Luckily, both of these disasters were narrowly averted and there was no loss of life. However, upon further investigation our police department now believes that both of these machines were sabotaged.

"Now, as you know, Lex Luthor was the chief financier behind the USS Constitution and his company also owns the fair grounds. Therefore, we've come to the conclusion that these incidents were both organized by terrorists that were targeting his company as well has himself personally. We've advised Mr. Luthor to beef up his own security while a further and deeper investigation gets underway. That's all that we know at this time. I can take a few questions."

Lois raised her hand and the mayor gestured to her.

"Mr. Mayor," she said. "Is Superman a suspect in your investigation?"

"The person that calls himself Superman is a new one on me," the mayor said with a laugh. "I've heard stories about these men in tights that come along and fight crime. I read more than my share of comic books in my youth. He seems to be extremely powerful and has abilities beyond anything that we've ever known. Right now, we're keeping our minds open about him. We don't really see him as a threat. After all, he saved everyone on that roller coaster last night. And we believe that he's the same person that rescued the Constitution yesterday as well. We really hope that he's a friend. If he is, he could be an extremely powerful one. I haven't met him yet, but I hope to."

"Me, too," Lois mumbled. Clark looked over at her and she glanced back at him playfully. "What? He's cute."

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Clark and Lois stepped out into the bright sunlight, shielding their eyes. There was a hot dog vendor on the corner about a half of a block away. Clark pointed to him.

"Hey, Lois," he said. "Let me buy you some lunch."

"A hot dog?" Lois asked. "You're still a big spender, Smallville."

He shrugged and they walked over the man with his cart. Clark ordered two hot dogs with everything on them. A minute later the man gave him two mounds of sauerkraut, chili, onions, and relish so thick that the bun and dog could not be seen. Lois laughed.

"If we eat that then we'll be run out of the Planet on a rail," Lois said.

"Can I get a couple of forks?" Clark asked. The man shrugged and handed him two plastic forks wrapped in more plastic. Lois picked up the sodas that he had purchased and they made their way to the steps where a lot of other people were enjoying their lunch. Clark stumbled and nearly dropped all of the food before he was finally able to sit down and hand Lois her hot dog.

"What happened to you, Clark?" Lois asked.

"What do you mean?" Clark asked, taking a big bite of his food.

"I mean, you've always been kind of a shy goody two shoes farm boy," Lois said. "But now you look like you grew up to be a big dork."

"That's not very nice," Clark said. "I mean, just because I started wearing glasses…"

"I'm not talking about the glasses," she said. "I'm talking about your whole personality. You're clumsy and nervous all of the time. It's just not the Clark Kent that I remember."

"Well, you're not the Lois Lane that I remember," Clark said.

"Oh?" Lois said. "How's that?"

"You were rude to me when you first got to Smallville," Clark said. "But after a while, we kind of became friends. And then we became a couple for a while."

"We went out on a few dates," Lois said.

"It was more than that and you know it," Clark said.

She smiled. "I guess."

Clark set his food down. "I'm sorry about what happened. I wanted to come here with you. But…"

"But you didn't want to lose the farm," Lois finished. "And I wanted nothing more than to get away from it. I'm sorry, too."

Clark nodded. "Hindsight is twenty/twenty, I guess. I really did have feelings for you."

"Me, too," Lois said.

"So," Clark said. "Can I take you out to dinner tonight?"

"Will it be better than lunch?" Lois asked. They laughed together.

"Absolutely," Clark said.

They finished their food and threw their trash away at the bottom of the steps. Clark stepped toward the curb to hail at taxi.

"Clark!" Lois said in an excited voice that made him nervous. He looked up and saw that she was looking at the mayor. He was standing down the street, just about to climb into a black car. Just before he got in, a tall, muscular woman with blonde hair stepped out from around a corner and approached him. She said something to him and they got into the car together. "Was that a prostitute?"

"I don't think so, Lois," Clark said. "Hookers don't usually wear black leather trench coats in September."

"They went around the corner," Lois said. "I'm going to get a picture of the car."

"It was the mayor's car," Clark said. "You won't be able to get a picture of who's inside."

"If I can catch them at a traffic light I will," she replied. He knew that it was no use. She was already halfway down the block and cutting through an alley to get to the next street. Clark followed her. She was running, but it was no big feat for him to keep up. When they reached the end of the alley there was no black car in sight. "I was sure that we'd get here first."

"Maybe they turned somewhere," Clark said. Just as he said it, a white van pulled up and blocked the end of the alley. It was a large van, like the kind used as a delivery truck. The door slid open and Clark saw something that he thought that he had seen the last of. His friends were in trouble. In the back of the van he saw Chloe and Jimmy, sitting back to back with their hands bound and their mouths gagged. There were two figures in black and wearing ski masks. One of them pulled a machine gun from behind them and pointed the end of it at Clark.

"Is this him?" one of them asked. It was a female.

"Yeah," the other one said in a distinct male voice. "Give it to him!"

The woman holding the gun squeezed the trigger and Clark could swear that he felt lead fists hitting him in the chest and stomach over and over. His body jerked back and forth and he crumpled to the ground.

"Clark!" Lois screamed.

"Get her!" the man yelled. The woman pulled a small device from under her shirt and pointed it at Lois. She sprayed a fine yellow mist in her face and Lois dropped like a sack of dirt. They dragged her into the van. Then the woman tossed a small package out and it landed next to Clark's head. He moaned.

The van's door slid shut and the tires squealed as it took off down the street.

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Pete Ross got out of his car and closed the door. He sighed. It had been a long day. Of course, any day of small town government was a long day. He had not realized what a tough job it would be to work for Smallville's city council. He swore that if he had known that he never would have run.

He walked up the stairs to his house. He still could not believe that he was back home. He had moved away from Smallville because he felt that because he knew Clark Kent's secret, he was a liability to his friend. When he finally grew up he had come home to his friends. Now he was happily married to Lana Lang and had a baby girl with another one on the way. Life was good.

At least, it was good until he got to his living room.

"Lana?" he called from the kitchen. "Alexis?"

He came around the corner from the kitchen and found a man in black standing with a gun pointed directly at him. There was another figure in black on the other side of the room tightening up the ropes that bound Lana's hands together. The baby was screaming from her high chair.

"Who is this?" the man asked.

"I think it's her husband," the other man said. "Just kill him."

"No," he said. "We can't just leave the baby alone."

"Whatever," the other man said. "Take care of him."

He pulled a small tube from his pocket and sprayed Pete in the face. Pete dropped to the floor instantly.

The two men carried Lana kicking and screaming out the back door to the car.

End of chapter seven

Note:

I hope you guys are enjoying this. I know that it's not as good as my last fic, but hopefully you like it anyway. I have to tell you, I nearly killed Pete. But he may be useful later on so I saved him. Anyway…I'll get the next chapter posted later in the week. Thanks.

Kal-El2K7


	8. Chapter 8: Unmasked

Chapter Eight: Unmasked

Mercy's black leather boots made a hollow echo as she walked slowly through the old store room. The only other sounds were the steady drip of a long forgotten water line somewhere in the darkness, and the slow breathing of her unconscious prisoners. She took off her black leather trench coat and hung it on a peg in the wall. Her sister, Hope, had been here when the van had arrived. She had helped to unload the captives and to secure them. They were all here, sitting on the floor. They had gags in their mouths and their hands were bound by rope to a stake in the floor behind each one of them.

"Is this all of them?" Mercy asked.

"These were the primary targets," Hope replied. She pointed at each one in turn. "That is Lois Lane. She's a reporter for the Daily Planet. She wrote that article about him last year."

"Oh, yes," Mercy said. "He did not like that."

"That is James Olsen. He is a photographer. That is Lana Lang…housewife. And that is Chloe Sullivan…editor for the Daily Planet. She is the one that he warned you about."

"Did you give her the juice?" Mercy asked.

"I did," said Hope. "She should sleep for a while. I will give it to her again in a few hours. Hopefully, he will be here by then."

"I am about to call him," Mercy said. "He will come soon enough."

One of them started to stir and made a soft moaning noise. It was the reporter. Hope smiled and looked to her sister who was also smiling. She walked over to the wall and picked up a hose that was hooked into that old dripping pipe. She stood in front of the woman and blasted her with the ice cold water. Lois' eyes snapped open and she screamed behind her gag as her body went rigid with shock. She fell over on the floor and Hope continued to hose her, moving it back and forth so that the water covered her entire body. The two sisters were laughing.

"Get up!" Mercy said when Hope had turned off the hose. Lois lay in a puddle of water in a daze. She had obviously not inhaled as much of the mist as the others had. Mercy grabbed her by the hair and pulled her back into a sitting position. "I said get up!"

"Look at my face," Hope said. "Do you know who I am?" Lois nodded. Hope pulled the gag out of her mouth. "Who am I?"

"Hope Graves," Lois said, groggily. She looked at Mercy. "Mercy Graves."

"How could she know us?" Mercy asked. "He is the only one who even knows that we exist."

"I know that you exist," Lois said. "I'm the best reporter in Metropolis."

Hope angrily shoved the gag back into her mouth. "That is too bad. Metropolis is about to lose its best reporter."

Lois' frightened eyes became an intense glare and the other two women laughed.

"Show as much bravery as you want, Ms. Lane," Mercy said. "It will not help you this time." She looked at Hope. "I have to go and call him. Watch them."

Hope nodded and turned back to Lois. Mercy left the room, her heels echoing against the old concrete walls as she went.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

"This is impossible!"

Clark was barely conscious. He was slowly coming to himself enough to be able to put his thoughts together. As he opened his eyes he saw a crowd of people surrounding him. Lots of people stared at him with shock and disbelief in their eyes. Two men in red shirts were stooped over him. Both of them were looking at his body and saying things to each other. It took him a minute or two before he could hear what was going on.

"He was shot in broad daylight," one of them said. "He was shot with freakin' machine gun! How can there not be a scratch on him?"

The other one reached over and picked something up off of the ground and examined it. He nodded.

"I'll tell you how it could happen," he said. "He got shot with rubber bullets."

"What?" the other man asked. He picked up one of the discarded bullets and looked. "Why would they do that?"

"All of the witnesses say that they took the woman," the other man said. "Maybe they didn't want this guy dead. He's probably got some broke ribs or something."

"He's waking up," the second man said. "What did you say he name is?"

The first man picked up Clark's wallet which had obviously been taken from his pocket while he was out. "Kent," he said. "Clark Kent. This here is a press pass from the Daily Planet."

"Mr. Kent?" the second man said. "Can you hear me?"

Clark nodded. "Lois?"

"My name is John Gray. Do you know what happened?"

Clark tried to sit up. He felt a wave of nausea and discovered that his arms and legs felt like lead weights. What had happened? He could barely remember anything that had happened after he left the press conference. He closed his eyes and the memory of a white van ran through his mind. He remembered staring at the barrel of a machine gun. And he remembered someone grabbing…

"Lois!" he yelled. But his voice was weak, just like the rest of him. That did not make any sense. He had been shot before. The bullets bounce off of his skin and fall harmlessly to the ground. It had happened a few times. Why was this time different?

"Who is Lois?" the second man asked.

"That must be the woman that was kidnapped," the first man said. "Don't worry, Mr. Kent. The police are on the way. They'll take your statement and then they'll find Lois. Now…are you having any trouble breathing?"

"I got shot," Clark said.

"Yes, sir," he replied. "But you'll be alright. The bullets were made of rubber. Whoever shot you didn't want you to die."

Now, that really did not make any sense. Why would rubber bullets not only hurt him, but take him down and cause him to lose consciousness? He reached over and picked up one of the bullets and held it up to his face. At first he did not see anything other than a piece of rubber. Then he focused on the object with his microscopic vision and saw that the entire thing was encrusted with tiny slivers of a green and shiny substance.

"Kryptonite," he mumbled.

"I'm sorry?" one of the men said.

"Nothing," Clark said. "I've got to get away from here."

"No, sir," he replied. "We're going to take you to the hospital. Now, I want you to take it easy and we're going to lift you onto a stretcher."

Clark slowly sat up as the two men loudly protested. They continued to tell him to lie down and to be still. But he pulled himself into a sitting position and then he stood up. He was slumped over, but he was up. He turned back to the end of the alley that he had come from and began to stagger in that direction.

"Mr. Kent!" one of the rescue workers said. "Please! Come with us! The police will find your friend. They're almost here. I can hear their sirens right now."

As Clark got further away from the bullets he found that he, too, could hear the sound of police sirens in the distance.

"I'm fine," Clark said. "I just want to go home."

"Hey," the other man said. "You forgot something." He reached down and pulled a small package from the ground and held it out. "It was lying on top of you when we got here. It must have fallen out of your pocket when you fell."

Clark did not know what it was, and he did not want to get closer to those Kryptonite encrusted bullets in order to find out. "Could you toss it?" The man threw it into the air and Clark easily grabbed it. "Thanks."

"You know the cops are going to come after you for leaving the scene of an accident," the man said. "Don't you?"

"I guess," Clark said. "Tell them that they can find me at the Daily Planet." Clark staggered all the way to the end of the alley and went around the corner. By the time he had walked a block, the weakness had dissipated and his strength was regained. He took off into a full run for the Daily Planet.

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The sound of the baby screaming brought Pete back to his senses. He felt like someone had washed his brain with steel wool. He rolled over onto his back and managed to pull himself into a sitting position. The baby was crying. She was still in her high chair. He had no idea how long he had been lying on the kitchen floor. He also had no recollection as to how he had come to be there in the first place.

"Hey," he said to the baby. "Hey there, Suzy. Daddy's sorry." He undid the chair and picked up the child, cradling her softly. Her cries became less and less until she was barely doing more than whimpering. Pete continued to bounce her as he looked around the room. The kitchen looked like it had been hit by a cyclone. He went around the corner into the den and found it much the same way. There were pictures that had been knocked to the floor, furniture that had been overturned, and papers lying everywhere. He was just about to call out for his wife when the horrible reality of what had happened hit him.

They had taken her. They had taken Lana.

Instinctively, he set the baby down in her play pen. She was much more content now. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. He started to call the police and stopped. He would call the police. But there was someone else who needed to be called first. Someone who cared about Lana just as much as he did. He scrolled through the menu and pressed the send button.

"_Hello?_" a voice answered.

"Clark!" he said. "It's Pete!"

"_What's wrong, Pete?_" Clark asked. Obviously, he picked up the stress in his tone.

"Lana's gone," Pete managed to choke out.

"_What do you mean, she's gone?_" he asked.

"I mean…she's gone," he repeated. "I came home from work and found a couple of fellas in ski masks trying to tie her up. They sprayed something in my face and I hit the dirt. When I woke up, they were all gone."

"_Where's the baby?_" Clark asked.

"I've got her," Pete said. "Thank God that they left her alone."

"_The same things going on here,_" Clark said. "_Someone shot me with rubber bullets that had Kryptonite on them. They took Lois and put her in a van. I think that I saw Jimmy Olsen and Chloe in there, too._"

"Clark," Pete said. "Who would want our friends?"

"_I doubt it has anything to do with you, Pete,_" Clark replied. "_I think someone's put two and two together and figured out about my secret._"

"Yeah. I saw that you've started wearing the costume that Lana made," said Pete. "What makes you think that someone's figured out that you're Superman?"

"_Why else would they know to attack Clark Kent with Kryptonite?_" Clark asked. "_Listen, Pete. I want you to leave the baby with Lana's aunt. Don't tell her what happened. Then come to Metropolis. Meet me at the Planet. We'll find them._"

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An hour later Clark was sitting at his desk in the bull pen of the Daily Planet. He did not feel weak anymore, but he had a headache worse than any he could remember. He leaned back in his chair and rubbed his temples with his fingers. He barely noticed when Cat Grant sat down across from him.

"Clark," she said. "It's all over the news about what happened. Are you okay?"

Clark nodded. "I'm fine."

"The police are doing what they can," she said. "But they also said that you're wanted for questioning. Why is that?"

"Oh. That's because I left the scene before the police showed up," he answered.

"What?" she asked, shocked. "Clark! You could go to jail for that! Why would you do that?"

"Because I'm a reporter," Clark said. "I can find Lois, Chloe, and Jimmy faster than the cops can."

"Chloe and Jimmy are missing, too?" Cat asked.

Clark looked up. "You didn't know?"

She shook her head. "No. I don't suppose anyone does. You really need to talk to the police. They probably think that they're looking for one kidnap victim."

"Thanks, Cat," Clark said. "Do me a favor. Pete Ross, a friend of mine from Smallville, will be here in a little while to see me. Would you make sure that he finds me?"

She nodded. Taking the hint she got up and went back to her desk. Clark looked around to be sure that no one else was coming. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the package. It was small and wrapped in a brown paper bag. He ripped it open and found a CD inside. He popped it into his computer and put on his headphones. Instantly, the screen of his computer was filled with a shadowy outline of a person. When it began to speak, it's voice was deep and distorted to hide their identity.

"_Clark Kent,_" they said. "_I am no fool. You think that you can parade around my city dressed in your pajamas and become the center of the minds of the people of Metropolis. But you are the one that is foolish. Did you really think that you could fly around in front of an entire world and that no one would find out who you are?_"

Then the screen split and a photo of Clark in his glasses filled the left side, while Jimmy's picture of Superman filled the right. Lines and squares began to criss cross each picture. Then the word MATCH filled the entire screen.

"_The accident on the Constitution was an attempt on my life,_" the voice said. "_It failed…thanks to you. The roller coaster was my attempt at revenge. It failed…again…thanks to you. The man who tried to kill me was Mohammad Acmuud. He is a very wealthy man from the Middle East that I have had a feud with for years. I want you to kill him for me. This disk contains all of the information needed to find him. Kill him within three hours and your friends will be released. If you do not…they die. And you and I will have to have a meeting as well._"

Clark put his head in his hands. It was going to be a long night.

End of chapter eight.

Note:

I'm sure that you all know who is blackmailing Clark. That is no secret. I just want you all to know that I know that it is not being hidden very well. But I hope that you are all enjoying the fic anyway.


	9. Chapter 9: Mohammad Acmuud

Chapter Nine: Mohammad Acmuud

Clark watched the rest of the disk as he waited for Pete Ross to get there. Over an hour had passed before he finally arrived. Cat Grant escorted Pete to Clark's desk. Clark stood up and they embraced.

"How are you holding up?" Clark asked.

"I don't really know how to feel," Pete replied. "I guess I had forgotten what it was like to live in Smallville."

"Well, it hasn't really been like this for a while," said Clark. "Things went back to normal after Lionel Luthor died."

"That was only because Lex came to Metropolis," Pete said. "Otherwise, it never would have changed."

"Pete," Clark said. "I think that Lex is the one that had Lana taken."

"There's a big surprise," Pete said. "What makes you think that?"

Clark pulled a chair from another desk and gestured for Pete to have a seat. "Whoever it was that shot me and took Lois left me a message." He reset the disk and played the original message for Pete.

"And you think that's Lex?" Pete asked.

"Who else could it be?" Clark asked. "I looked up this Acmuud guy. He's a very wealthy man in Afghanistan. He gets most of his money from oil, which is not something that Lex would be interested in. But he might be interested in this."

Clark punched a few keys on his keyboard and an image of a man of Arabian descent appeared on the screen. He was standing in front of what looked like a boulder that was roughly the size of a two story house.

"What is that?" Pete asked.

"A meteor rock," Clark said. "They think that it landed in Afghanistan about the same time that we experienced the second meteor shower over in Smallville. It impacted in the middle of the desert. No one discovered it until about three years ago."

"Why would Lex want it?" Pete asked.

"Don't you think he's still running 33.1?" Clark asked.

"Well, sure," Pete said. "But he's got all of the meteor rocks that he needs here in Kansas."

"But this is the largest one ever discovered," Clark said. "It could mean a never ending supply of Kryptonite. Not only could he use it for his experiments, but he could also use it against me."

"Something that he'd find a whole lot more valuable now that you're showing up as Superman," Pete finished.

Clark nodded. "Exactly."

"So, what are you going to do?" Pete asked.

Clark leaned back in his chair. "I don't know, Pete. I know that I'm not going to kill Acmuud. I promised myself a long time ago that I wouldn't use my abilities to hurt people." He looked at the clock on the wall. It was nearly three o'clock. "But I've only got about an hour before Lex has everyone killed."

"You know what I'm thinking?" Pete said.

Clark shook his head. "No. What?"

Pete smiled and placed a hand on his friend's shoulder. "This looks like a job for Superman."

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Clark glided effortlessly over the city of Metropolis. He stayed pretty high in the air, knowing that most people never even looked up in this city. He was in his Superman costume, but he still preferred to keep a low profile. After all, if one person could figure out his identity and use it against him, what would keep someone else from doing the same.

Lex Luthor had been obsessed with proving that Clark was different from everyone else since he had been fifteen years old. That was when he had rescued Lex from a car that had driven off of a bridge and right into Crater Lake. Lex had hit Clark with car before he lost consciousness. It was pretty easy to convince him that what he thought that he had seen had not been the truth. But of course, there was that seed of doubt that gradually grew. Appearing as Superman on the same day as arriving in Metropolis was probably not the best idea if he had wanted to elude Lex.

But it was done now. Clark was Superman. An entire city had seen him do incredible things that would have been impossible for a regular person. There were images of him on the internet and being broadcast all over the world. In those pictures and videos he was flying and lifting great amounts of weight. There was no backing out. Everyone now knew that they were in the company of someone that was not like the rest of them.

But his worst fear had come true. Clark had known that Lex suspected his susceptibility to the meteor rocks for years. He first learned about it when it was used against him in a factory that he was helping Green Arrow to destroy along with Cyborg, Aquaman, and the Flash, who was calling himself Impulse back then. Now that he had been attacked in his civilian form with meteor rocks and it had worked, Lex would have no doubt that his suspicions had been true all along.

He still could not believe that all of this was being done over a meteor rock in the Middle East. Lex's obsession with those rocks was becoming psychotic. Not only was he dangerously close to losing his mind over all of this, but he was also funding research that could possibly develop some of the worst crazed metahumans that the world had ever known.

He saw his destination below him. It was the Drake Hotel, situated right next to the water at the north end of the city. The disk that had been left with him had told him that Acmuud was staying there. He gradually lowered himself until he was just outside the window on the floor that the man was staying. He still was not sure what he was going to do. He was definitely not going to kill this man for Lex. But at the same time he knew that he could be dealing with a dangerous man. Acmuud had apparently managed to sabotage the Constitution, which automatically made him an international terrorist in Clark's book. But Clark had seen some other things about him online that made him nervous. For instance he was an alleged financier of Al Qaeda, and had been seen numerous times in the company of Osama Bin Laden before the latter man's arrest two years ago. But no case against Acmuud had ever come to fruition.

Clark peered through the window. There were guards posted outside of the man's room. They had no guns visible, but one glance with his x-ray vision showed him that they both had semi-automatic weapons tucked into holsters under their coats. They also had pistols strapped to their ankles. Nothing Clark would have to worry about, but he had to take the collateral damage into mind.

He silently glided to the next window and looked in. He was now peering into Acmuud's room. The man was lying on the bed, sleeping. Clark concentrated on the glass of the window itself. He felt his eyes become very warm as waves of intense heat began to emanate from his pupils. He cut a large circle out of the glass and quietly floated through it into the room. He set his red boots down on the carpet next to the man's bed and loudly cleared his throat. Mohammad Acmuud opened his eyes. When he saw Clark he jerked. When he realized who Clark was, his eyes spread wide in terror.

"You…," he said. "You're the super man!" He put the emphasis on the word "man".

"Are you Mohammad Acmuud?" Clark asked.

"Yes," Acmuud said. "I am. What have you come to me for?"

"I want you to tell me where I can find Lex Luthor," he replied.

"Luthor?" Acmuud asked in his heavy accent. "What do you want with him?"

"What do you want with him?" Clark returned.

Acmuud sat up on the bed. "I do not know what you are speaking about."

"You had your men sabotage the space plane yesterday at Metropolis International Airport," Clark said. "You can deny it. But I believe that it's true. Did you do it to kill Lex Luthor?"

Acmuud looked as if he were going to give him the run around. Clark hoped not. He did not have time to play these games with him. At last the older man's face relaxed. He realized that it was no good trying to fool him.

"Yes," Acmuud said. "But you have to understand! He has been terrorizing me for over a year!"

"How?" Clark asked.

"I have a rock that fell from the sky," Acmuud said. "I would not sell it to him. So he kidnapped my wife and told me that he was going to kill her if I did not sell it. I do not answer to terrorism."

"No," Clark said. "Of course not. You just dish it out." Acmuud looked as if he was going to try to defend himself but Clark did not give him an opportunity. "So, did he kill her?"

"I do not know," Acmuud said. "I believe he did. I came to America on business. I did not know until I got here how powerful he was. I heard about the space plane and I thought that it would be the perfect way for me to get rid of him."

"Why are you so intent on keeping the meteor?" Clark asked.

"Allah sent it to my people," Acmuud said. "I could never get rid of a gift of God. Even if I have no idea what it is."

Clark nodded. "You know, Luthor wanted me to come here today and kill you."

"You work for him?" Acmuud asked. "But I thought that you were a hero!"

"I don't work for Luthor," Clark said. "And I'm not going to kill you."

"What are you going to do to me?" the other man asked.

"There isn't much that I can do," Clark said. "Tell me where Luthor is now."

"How would I know?" Acmuud said.

"He knew where to find you," Clark replied. "I know that you two have been

keeping tabs on each other. Now, where is he?"

Acmuud swallowed hard. "One of my men called me a while ago. He said that he saw Luthor get into a helicopter. The last time it was seen it was headed toward the warehouse yard near the city's docking district.

Clark nodded. "I know what you are but I have no way of proving it. But I want you to get out of Metropolis…and the United States. Don't ever come back. And if I ever find out that you're here or that you've backed an attack on this country…I'll find you."

Acmuud nodded with fright. Clark stepped back over to the window and leaped through the hole that he had made. Acmuud saw him drop off of the side of the building. He ran over and looked down toward the street below in time to see a streak of red and blue rocket back toward the sky.

"The super man," he said in awe.

BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB

Clark flew toward the docks as fast as he could. On the west side of the main shipping yard, there were lots of old and abandoned warehouses. It seemed a little too cliché for Lex to use buildings like that, but he supposed that he wanted to do his dirty work out of the eye of the public. He could not just kill five people in the offices of LexCorp.

Clark honed in his hearing, listening for anything that might clue him in as to where they might be. He flew in circles around the area until he finally heard a woman's muffled scream and a thud that could only be a boot meeting flesh. Clark turned toward the sound and found a three story warehouse with a lot of missing windows that looked like it had not been occupied in years. He sailed toward it and smashed his way through the wall. He quickly scanned the building with his x-ray vision and found five motionless bodies on the second floor. He ripped the ceiling apart and sat his feet on the ground right in front of Lois Lane and Lana Lang. They were out cold, their hands and feet bound with rope. He reached out to break the rope when something hit his hard against the side of his head. He saw stars for a second and fell over to his side. When he turned over onto his back, he saw two tall, blonde women looking down at him.

"It looks as if the guest of honor has arrived, Mercy," Hope said.

"Let's keep him occupied until he gets here," her sister replied.

Mercy pulled her leg back and kicked Clark in the face again. Clark was sent hurling through the air and he crashed into a rotten stack of wooden pallets. He pulled himself to his feet. How were these women so powerful? He had been hit by men twice their size and barely felt it.

"I see that you have never had the pleasure of sparring with an Amazon," Hope said. "Do you give up? Or do you want more?"

Clark launched himself into the air and flew toward them. He grabbed Hope by her coat and threw her into a wall. But Mercy grabbed his foot and flung him into the ceiling. He crashed through floors until he found himself back outside. He turned and dropped back down, landing hard on top of Mercy and sending her through the floor toward the basement.

Then he felt something bite him on the neck. He reached up and felt a syringe sticking its needle into his skin. Hope was standing behind him, laughing hysterically as she plunged the light green liquid into his body. He felt the world go blurry around him and then he knew nothing.

CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC

When Clark opened his eyes he found that he was sitting on the floor across from his friends. They were all awake now, except for Chloe, and they were looking at him with fear in their eyes. He looked down and realized that he, too, had his hands and legs bound to metal rings that were bolted to the floor. He also realized that he was much too weak to do anything about it. He felt something warm on his face and realized that it was his blood. What was going on?

"Hello, Clark," came a voice from a shadowy corner. He looked at the figure that was walking toward him. As it stepped into the dim lights he could see that it was Lex Luthor. "You let me down, Clark."

"I'm Superman," Clark said.

"I'm not a fool," Luthor said. "You know, when I first saw you on the news in that get-up, I couldn't tell that it was you. But now that I know the truth, I don't know why I couldn't see it. It's obvious."

"I'm not killing anyone for you, Lex," Clark said. "Not even a terrorist. I'm not your hit man!"

"I knew that you wouldn't do it, Clark," Luthor said. "And I knew that Acmuud would tell you where to find me. I'll settle my score with him in time. But first, I have to make good on my promise. I told you that if you didn't kill Acmuud, that I would kill your friends. But what I didn't tell you was that I'm going to make them all watch you die first."

"How are you going to kill me, Lex?" Clark said. "If there was that much Kryptonite in this building then I would be able to feel it by now."

"Oh, I had something special built for you," Luthor said. "I implanted a chip into your head while you were asleep. Isn't that brilliant? It's leaking a serum made from Kryptonite into your brain right now. It's making you weaker as we speak. In about ten minutes, you'll have had a lethal dose and you'll be dead. Then, I'm going to have Hope and Mercy execute your friends and dump all of you in the ocean."

"You're out of your mind, Lex," Clark said.

"Probably," Luthor said. "But so will you in a few minutes. You should have known that you couldn't come to my city and take over like this! Shame on you! I'm the king of Metropolis! You should have stayed in Smallville!"

Clark gathered enough energy to snap his binds. He stood up. Luthor motioned to Lois and Mercy rushed to untie her. He grabbed her and thrust her out in front of him as he pulled a revolver out of his coat.

"I'll kill her, Clark," Lex told him. "I'll kill every one of them and make you watch if you try to do anything."

Lois pulled the gag out of her mouth. "Clark," she said. "Relax. It's alright. We'll get out of this. I love you."

Clark looked at her. "I love you, too," he said.

"That's wonderful," Luthor said. "But, no, you won't be getting out of this. I'm afraid that the judge has ruled and found you all guilty of being a nasty inconvenience to me. I should have gotten rid of all of you years ago."

Clark glared at him and stepped forward. Lex pointed the gun toward him and pulled the trigger. Clark saw the bullet coming toward him and reached out for it. He grasped and opened his hand. There was nothing in it. His reflexes had grown too slow to do something that he had probably done a hundred times. He turned and saw Lois looking at him with her eyes wide open and her face going pale. There was a red stain on the chest of her blouse that was steadily growing outward.

"Lois?" Clark said. She dropped to her knees and then fell over. "Lois!" He dropped to the floor next to her pulled her to him.

"Clark?" she said. She was staring off into space.

"Lois," he said. "Hold on. I'm going to get you some help." He started to lift her. He thought that he could gather enough energy to get her out of there.

"If you move," Luthor said, pointing the gun at Lana's head, "I'll kill her, too."

Clark looked at Lana.

"Clark," she said. "Please."

He looked back down at Lois. "Its okay, Clark. I'm going to be alright. I love you." Then her eyes went blank and her head dropped to one side. Clark set her back down on the floor and began to sob. He could hear Hope and Mercy laughing quietly and he could feel Lex Luthor's cold gaze on him. But he continued to look down at Lois' face, beautiful even now in death. He reached down and closed her eyes.

End of chapter nine.


	10. Chapter 10: Timelines

Chapter Ten: Timelines

September 20, 2007

Clark could hear screaming in the distance. It sounded like it was coming from miles and miles away. It took him a few moments to realize that he was the one that was screaming. He opened his eyes and realized that he was covered in sweat. He looked around with his eyes wide in panic. He found that Matthew Ryder was still standing next to him. The light that engulfed his body was fading as he began to take on a more human appearance. The forest surrounded them, still and quiet. The sun was bright over their heads.

"Kal-El?" Ryder said. "Are you quite alright?"

"No," Clark said. "What the hell did you do to me?"

"I told you what my intentions were," Ryder said. "I'm glimpsing your future."

"That was my future?" Clark asked. "I fall in love with Lois Lane and then have to watch her die?"

"Perhaps," Ryder said. "Perhaps not."

Clark stared at him and then began to back away. "You stay away from me! I don't want any part of this anymore!"

"You are frightened," Ryder said. "That is okay."

"It's not okay," Clark said. "I've never experienced anything like that. It wasn't like I was just watching what was happening. It was almost like I was really there. I was actually living out what was going on. I really was Superman."

"And you will be, Clark," Ryder said. "There are billions of possible paths that your life could take from this point. Most of them lead to that costume and the name of Superman."

"What do you mean?" Clark said. "There are billions of paths?"

"Time is not a physical substance, Clark," Ryder explained. "I could touch you now and look at your future starting from the same point and see something completely different. Three days from now you may meet someone that could change your future entirely. I can only see what your future is from this very moment. It could change. And it will change."

"Well, if you're so sure that my future is going to be different from what you're seeing, then how will you know if I become this Monarch that you told me about?"

"Because I come from Monarch's time," Ryder answered. "When I touched you, our timelines touched. Therefore, if you become Monarch in any timeline, I will be able to see it. Now, I must finish my observation."

Ryder reached out to lay his hand on his chest and Clark backed away from him. Ryder looked at him in surprise.

"I don't want to go back," Clark said.

"Kal-El," Ryder said. "This is necessary."

"I don't care," Clark said. "What you're doing is messing with my head. I was really experiencing what was happening. And I really felt sad when Lois died. I don't want to go back and watch Lex kill all of my friends."

"I have to see your future, Clark," Ryder said. "I must get end Monarch's rule in my time. This is the only way."

"You'll have to find another way," Clark said. With that, Clark disappeared as he took off in a full run back toward Smallville. The wind blew fiercely in Ryder's face in his wake.

"Blast you, Kal-El," he mumbled. He transformed instantly into Waverider and burst into speed. What Clark did not know was that while he was able to run an almost the speed of sound, his opponent was able to run faster than the speed of light. Waverider passed him so fast that Clark never even saw him. He got ahead of him by miles and stopped, waiting for him.

When Clark finally caught up to him, Waverider saw him coming like a normal person would see a slug inching along the ground. He held his hands up toward the sky and a ball of energy formed in between them. A charge crackled in the air as tiny fingers of electricity reached out into the air. He threw his arms down and the ball sailed forward, striking Clark directly in the chest and dispersing itself throughout his body.

Clark was stunned. The shock of the energy that coursed through him was so strong that his mind went completely numb. The force of the blow sent him flying into the air. He came back down nearly a mile away, crashing into a large oak tree and sending splinters of wood everywhere. Waverider was already there and waiting for him. He held his hand out toward him and Clark lost all feeling in his arms and legs. He felt himself rise up off of the ground. When he looked down he found that he was hanging upside down nearly thirty feet in the air. Waverider was below him. He could not see the expression on his light covered face, but he could hear the aggravation in his voice as it echoed inside his own head.

"I will not chase you down like a schoolyard bully, Kal-El," Waverider said. "I must determine if you are to become Monarch. My world depends on it."

"You can't just invade my mind if I won't allow it," Clark said.

"As powerful as you are," Waverider replied, "there will always be someone who is stronger. If you turned out to be Monarch, how did you think that I would execute you? My human form is no match for you and I cannot fight you in a form of pure energy."

"I hadn't thought about it," Clark said.

"I would have to kill your mind, Kal-El," he said. "And he who has power over your mind has power over you. I will finish my observation."

Clark nodded. "I guess I have no choice," he said.

"Not if you want to live," Waverider responded.

Clark nodded. "Let me down, Ryder. I'll cooperate with you."

Slowly Clark lowered back down to the ground. When he could feel his body again, he got up and turned to the other man.

"It will not be much longer," Waverider said. "I think that you are at a crossroads now. You have just lost the love of your life. And your own life is in danger. If you are to become Monarch in the future, we will know about it shortly."

Clark nodded as Waverider glided forward and reached out to him. He placed his hand on his chest again and Clark was engulfed in the energy that surrounded the other man. He felt a jolt go through his body and he felt the other man's being enter his own mind. They joined together and journeyed once again into Clark's future.

End of chapter ten.

Note:

This is an extremely short chapter, I know. But I wanted to show the effect that all of this was having on Clark as he's watching it unfold. He would do anything to stop it. But it is no use. Waverider is so powerful that he's going to observe Clark's future whether he wants him to or not.

Anyway, there are only about two chapters left in this fic. Hopefully chapter eleven will be along in a day or two.

Thanks,

Kal-El2K7


	11. Chapter 11: Revelation

Chapter Eleven: Revelation

September 22, 2017

Clark choked back his tears as he lay Lois' body down on the floor. The wound on her chest was still bleeding, but he listened carefully and could hear no heartbeat with his sensitive hearing. And his eyes that could tell the molecular structure of any surface saw no rising a falling of her chest. She was gone.

"You killed her," he said, turning to face Lex. The other man was still pointing the gun at him. "You murdered her. I always knew that you'd turn out this way."

"Really?" Lex asked. "Because you really had me fooled for a while. I always knew that there was something different about you. I always suspected that you were one of those meteor mutants since that day on the bridge. But I could never prove it."

"Well, you've got your proof now," Clark said. "But Lois didn't have to die for it."

"No," Lex said. "You're right. Lois didn't have to die for it. But that wasn't my fault. If you had just done what I had asked you to do…"

"You didn't really expect me to commit murder for you," Clark said. "Did you?"

"No," he replied. "Unfortunately, I didn't. You're not strong enough for that. So you would rather allow me to kill your friends than to do what I asked."

"You're not killing anyone else today, Lex," Clark said. He stared at the gun and tried to produce enough heat from his eyes to make him drop it. But as soon as the heat started, he felt a searing pain shoot through his head. He cried out.

"It won't be long, Clark," Lex said. "That thing in your head has probably already leaked a dangerous amount of kryptonite into your brain. In another minute or two you'll be so weak that you'll be lying on the floor in a big, useless, super heap."

Clark fell to his knees and looked around. Lex was smiling at him. He had the most sinister look on his face, as if he was truly enjoying the devastation that he was causing in their lives. He had gone completely insane. He glanced at Mercy and Hope. Their faces were scratched and bloody from their little tousle with Clark. They, too, were smiling at him in delight. Soon, the man that had shown up out of nowhere and threatened to rob them of the fruit of their plans, whatever they had been, would be dead. Then they could all go on about their merry and ludicrous way.

Then Clark glanced at Jimmy. He was wide awake and looking at Clark in expectancy. He did not know what he thought about finding out that Clark Kent and Superman had been the same person all along, but he could see that he expected him to snap out of it and save them. Chloe was next to him. Her head was hanging to one side and she was obviously still out of it. Though he could tell by her breathing that she would be awake very soon. At least they were both alright for right now.

Then he glanced at Lana. Her face was just as sweet as it had always been. He was scared for her. He had promised Pete that he would bring her home and he knew that she had a baby waiting for her. But when he looked into her large dark eyes he could see that she was not afraid of what was going to happen to her. She had a history with Lex, and there was probably a time when he would not have harmed a hair on her head. But this Lex was different. She was in just as much danger as the rest of them. But Clark could see that she was only concerned for him. She was watching him die and it was killing her.

Clark pulled himself up to his feet and lurched forward. Lex aimed the gun at him and fired a round. The bullet went into the front of his shoulder and exploded from his back. He screamed. He had never had a bullet do anything more than glance off of his skin before. He was truly becoming weaker by the second. But he took another step. Lex fired again and this time blood squirted out from his right thigh in a gush.

"Just stop it, Clark!" Lex yelled. "It's over! Lay down and die!"

"Why?" Clark yelled back. "So you can take over Metropolis?"

"That's what I was doing," Lex said. "I was in control of everything. I own everything, Clark! It's my town! And you think that you can just fly in here in a pair of pajamas and start undoing my projects. Do you know what you cost me when you stopped that roller coaster?"

"I saved lives," Clark responded.

"You cost me money," Lex said. "Acmuud could have died and I could have bought his land. Then that rock would have been mine and I could have kept my projects going. But you have to be a boy scout!"

"Is that why Lois had to die?" Clark asked. "To raise your bottom line?"

"Lois had to die because you're too stubborn to do as you're told," Lex said. "That's the same reason Chloe has to die, Jimmy has to die, Lana has to die, and you have to die."

Clark could see that this was not going his way. He did not know how to get out of what was happening. He could deal with his own murder, but he could not stand the thought of his friends being killed because of something that he had caused. He wished that he had never decided to but this uniform on and go parading around town. His life had been difficult enough when he had been using his powers in secret. Ever since he had used them in public it had not gone well.

He decided that he was going to die. This thing that Lex had put in his head was going to kill him. But he was not going to let anything else happen to those that he cared about. He leaped into the air and flew toward Lex. The other man fired three shots, only one of which struck its target, hitting Clark in the stomach. He grabbed Lex by the lapels of his suit and rocketed into the air. He burst through the ceiling, through the floor above, and out into the blue sky outside. Lex passed out from the blow to his head as they had crashed through the floorboards and mortar. The gun in his hand dropped safely to the ground below. Clark kept climbing. He got so high that he was having trouble breathing. He realized that in a moment he would have too much of the kryptonite serum in his brain to even sustain this. He had used everything that he had to become airborne and he could see that even the weight of Lex was almost too much for him.

Lex opened his eyes and looked around. He cried out and grabbed hold of Clark's shoulders. Clark winced at the pain as his hands found his gunshot wound.

"Don't drop me," Lex said. "You just said that you wouldn't kill a person."

"You're not a person," Clark said. With that, he let go of Lex's suit. The man screamed as he plummeted back toward the building that was no more than a speck below them. Clark watched him fall. It all seemed to happen in slow motion. Lex was falling and screaming and soon he would have nothing more to worry about.

"You have a lot of power."

Clark looked around at the sound of the voice. Then he realized that he was not hearing the voice with his ears. It was coming from his mind. He was hearing a memory of his father's voice.

"You're a lot more powerful than the people that surround you," his father had told him. He remembered that it was not long after he had discovered the truth about where he had come from. "But you have to be careful to use your abilities only to help…never to hurt."

Clark nodded, almost as if his father had just said those words for the first time. He turned his body downward and shot himself back toward the earth.

He had only been able to fly for a couple of years, but in all of that time he had never found it as hard to do as he did right now. To fly at this angle was only a heartbeat away from falling. But he managed to maintain control of his body and he caught up with Lex ten feet before he would have landed on the roof of the warehouse. He grabbed him and pulled him close to him. Clark pulled up and slowed his descent, but they still crashed through the roof and back into the room where Chloe, Jimmy, and Lana were still tied up. They landed with a thud. Lex managed to stay conscious, but Clark was out. There was a cold sweat gleaming on his skin that had a slightly green tint to it.

"Kill him!" Lex said. "Kill him right now!"

Hope and Mercy reached beneath their leather coats and pulled out a pair of handheld machine guns. They both pointed their barrels at Clark's chest and stomach. There was a deafening series of small explosions as the two women filled Clark's body with bullets. Blood poured from the wounds that they opened in his once invulnerable body. Then Hope turned the barrel and put one bullet right between his eyes.

"He is dead, sir," Hope said.

"Are you sure?" Lex said. "He's not human!"

Mercy got down on one knee and listened for his breath and checked his pulse. "As far as I can tell, sir," she said. "He is dead."

Lex turned to the three prisoners. Jimmy was hyperventilating behind his gag and there were tears streaming down Lana's face. Chloe was just beginning to open her eyes, the gunshots being enough to bring her out of her slumber. She blinked groggily and looked down at the bodies of Lois and Clark on the floor.

"Now kill them," Lex said. "Start with Ms. Sullivan."

Hope walked over to where Chloe was sitting and pointed her gun at her. She squeezed the trigger and fired a half dozen rounds into an empty place in the floor.

"Where is she?" Lex asked.

"I do not know, sir," Hope said. "She vanished."

Lex looked down at the place where Chloe had been and saw that gag lying on the floor. The metal ring that she had been bound to only held a piece of rope that was still tied in a knot. The rope had been broken.

Lex heard a crack next to him and felt the warm sensation of blood as it splattered across his face. He turned and found Chloe standing with Hope's gun aimed at his face. He looked down and saw the pretty Amazon lying motionless on the floor as blood poured from her nose.

"You're not a killer, Ms. Sullivan," Lex said.

"She's not dead," Chloe replied. "But you're about to be. You bastard!"

Chloe turned and fired a quick burst, striking Mercy in the chest. She had raised her own gun and had been about to fire on her. She fell to the floor in a heap. Chloe turned back to Lex who now had a pistol in his hand. It was aimed at her. She saw his index finger about to squeeze the trigger. She disappeared from in front of him just as the bullet left the barrel. It hit the wall instead and he felt the tip of her gun in his back.

"Drop it!" Chloe said.

"What are you?" Lex asked as he allowed the gun to clatter to the floor next to where Hope was lying.

"I grew up in Smallville," she replied. "And I spent a lot of time around meteor rocks. You do the math! Now, get up against the wall!"

Lex moved over to the wall and stood with his back to it. Chloe proceeded to untie Lana and Jimmy. They looked at her in amazement.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Lana asked.

"After all the trouble I caused the meteor freaks in my youth?" Chloe said. "I didn't want to tell anyone."

"What can you do, Chief?" Jimmy said, massaging his wrists.

"Well," Chloe said. "Most of the people that mutate from meteor exposure get powers from things that they spend a lot of time around. In my case, I was around Clark a lot when we were young."

"You have Clark's abilities?" Lana asked.

"I have a watered down version," Chloe said. "I can't fly and I'm not invulnerable. And I can't do all of that stuff with my eyes. But I'm pretty fast. And I'm strong, too."

Lana looked at Lex and continued to talk to Chloe. "Why don't you do something about him? He killed Clark and Lois."

"Yeah," Chloe said. "About that. There's something else that I can do." She handed her gun to Jimmy and walked over to where Lois lay on the floor. She turned her over so that she was lying on her back. Then, she held her hand over the bloody spot on her chest and closed her eyes. A small ball of light began to form between her palm and Lois' body. As the others watched, tiny little black specks began to swim out of the wound and into the ball, causing it to grow bigger and bigger until it was about the size of a tennis ball.

As this was happening, no one noticed that Hope had awakened. She rose up off of the floor and picked up the pistol that Lex had left. She pointed it at Chloe and stepped forward.

Lana noticed her when she had come within a few feet of her. "Chloe!" she yelled. "Behind you!"

Chloe's instincts took over. She turned quickly and held her hands in the air. The ball that had formed over Lois shot out and exploded when it struck Hope in the face. The woman screamed as the tiny black specks flew into her mouth and her nose. When the ball and the specks had completely vanished, she stopped screaming. She fell to the floor, as dead as her sister.

Lois coughed and everyone turned to her. Chloe helped her to sit up. She felt of her chest and realized that the wound was gone. She looked at Chloe with questions dancing in her eyes like the tears that were welling up in everyone else's.

"Lois," Chloe said. "Are you okay?"

"I think so," Lois said. "Am I alive?"

"Yeah," Chloe said.

"How?" Lois asked.

"I think Chloe healed you," Jimmy said. He and Lana went to her and looked at where the bullet had struck her. As they did so, Lex tried the same thing that Hope had failed at. He slipped away from the wall and quickly lifted the pistol. He aimed it in their direction.

"I may not have killed you all," he said, startling all of them. They turned and looked at him. "But I can't have you bringing the ones that I did kill back to life."

"Are you kidding me?" Jimmy said. "Don't you ever give up?"

He pointed the gun at Jimmy and pulled the trigger. Nothing happened. He looked puzzled.

"You forgot the safety," Jimmy said, leveling the machine gun at him. Lex still looked puzzled when his stomach and chest were filled with eight rounds. He fell over and hit the floor face first. Jimmy turned to Chloe. "Do me a favor and don't heal him."

"Don't worry," Chloe said. She scooted over to where Clark was lying. He was definitely dead. She held both hands over him and another ball of light formed. The others looked on in amazement as the wounds closed up and the ball filled with the black specks of death that had filled him a moment before. Chloe lifted her hands and the ball shot up through the ceiling and into the sky. They all imagined that they would go on into space and to somewhere else from there.

Clark moaned. He pulled himself into a sitting position and looked down at himself.

"Did I get shot?" he asked.

"You did more than that, CK," Jimmy said. "You got whacked! Chloe healed you."

Clark looked at her. "You healed me? How?"

"I'm a meteor freak," Chloe said. "I was going to tell you. But I was afraid that it would get out. I don't want my picture in the Inquisitor. I'm the chief editor of the Daily Planet."

"I think that you're going to be a pretty famous hero one day," Lana said. "Maybe as big as Superman."

Chloe shook her head and looked at Clark. "Are you alright?"

"I think so," he said. He looked around at the bodies of Lex, Hope, and Mercy. "I didn't…"

"I killed the Amazon's," Chloe said. "Jimmy took care of Lex."

"I couldn't kill him," Clark said. "What kind of superhero can't kill the bad guy?"

"The best kind," Lana said. "You're a superhero with a heart."

"You're the best superhero that Metropolis could ask for," Chloe said.

"And don't worry," Jimmy said. "Your secret is safe with us."

"What about the thing that Lex put in my head?" Clark asked.

"It should have gone out when I healed you," Chloe said.

Clark nodded. He stood up and hugged Chloe and Lana and shook Jimmy's hand. "Thank you all." He turned and saw Lois for the first time. "Lois!"

"Hi, Clark," she said.

"I tried to save you," Clark said. "I tried to catch the bullet. But the kryptonite…"

"Clark," Lois said. "I've learned a lot about you today. But the one thing that I didn't have to learn was that you'll be there for me. I've always known that."

He took her in his arms and kissed her.

"I love you, Superman," Lois said.

"I love you, too, Lois," Clark replied. "I love you, too."

End of chapter eleven.

Note:

One more chapter guys. I've got a lot of loose ends to tie up. Then I'll begin working on Elseworlds: Book Two-Infinite Worlds. See you next time.

Kal-El2K7


	12. Chapter 12: Future Uncertain

Chapter Twelve: Future Uncertain

September 20, 2007

A blinding light filled Clark's vision and the old abandoned warehouse vanished from around him. He looked down and saw that the blue and red uniform that he had been wearing was gone as well. It had been replaced by a long sleeved plaid shirt and jeans. Waverider was standing in front of him. He had just taken his hand from his chest and the light around him was fading as he gradually took on his human form.

"That's it?" Clark asked. "That's all that you're going to watch? You didn't find out anything."

"I found out everything that I need to know," Matthew Rider said.

"So I battle Lex and he dies," Clark said. "Chloe is meteor infected and she can heal people. Lois and I both get killed and then come back to life. That doesn't tell you anything about Monarch."

"No, it does not tell me anything about Monarch," Rider answered.

"Well, shouldn't you look a little further?" Clark asked.

"No," Rider said. "The reason it doesn't tell me anything about Monarch is because there is nothing about him in your future. You don't become him."

"How can you be sure?" Clark asked.

Rider smiled and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Think back to the vision that you have just witnessed. Remember when you dropped Lex Luthor from the sky?" Clark nodded. "You intended to let him fall to his death. But you could not let his death come from your own hands. The memory of the lessons taught to you by your human father would not allow you to murder a human being. Not even one as evil as Lex Luthor. I do not believe that anyone with those kinds of morals could ever become a tyrant like Monarch."

"But when I found out what kind of power Chloe had, I didn't insist that she bring Lex and the others back as well," Clark replied.

"No, you didn't," Rider said. "And I do not know why that is. It would have been compassionate of you to do so. But, then again, Lex Luthor knew your identity and would have been a thorn in your side for the rest of your life. No one expects you to be perfect, Kal-El. But you are expected to help those who deserve your help. And, sometimes it would not hurt to help those that do not."

"What happens if you go on and I turn out to be this guy anyway?" Clark asked. "I mean, you yourself said that the future is uncertain."

"The one thing that I know is that Monarch exists in my future," Rider said. "I've glimpsed your future and I saw no sign of him."

"But you only looked at two days of my life ten years from now," Clark said.

Rider laughed. "Is that what you think you saw?" Clark nodded his face a mask of confusion. "Clark, my mind works on a different plane of existence when I'm in my other form. You saw what I saw, but your mind works much slower, and so it condensed your vision into a form that you could understand."

Clark stared at him with incomprehension for almost a minute. "Do you mean that what I saw were events that take place over a longer period of time?"

"I'd say that you saw nearly fifteen years worth of memories that your mind broke down into a two day story," Rider said. "You'll battle Lex for years. And the world will have a Superman for a long time before Chloe ever reveals her secret to you."

Clark nodded and grinned. "So, what happens now?"

"Now?" Rider repeated. "Now, you go back to your life. And I go on with my quest to find the hero that will eventually become Monarch. I have a hunch as to where I can find the next person to glimpse. I believe you know the one that will eventually call himself the Flash. In this time period he goes by the name of Bart Allen."

"Bart?" Clark asked. "He becomes a masked hero?"

"You know more of the future masked heroes than you realize," Rider replied. "I must go now, Kal-El. Take care."

"Thanks, Matthew," Clark said. "I really mean that. I appreciate what you're trying to do."

"Perhaps we will meet again," Rider said. He waved a hand and burst into light, becoming Waverider in an instant. He shot straight up into the sky and there was a huge explosion of fire and light as he entered the timestream and went on to another place.

Clark stood there for a long time, staring at the place that Waverider had just been. How could he go on with his life like he had said? How could it be possible to go on doing things the way that he had always done them, knowing what would one day be required of him. He was destined to put on a costume and save lives. That was what he was going to do with his life. How many times would he have to watch the people that he loved get hurt or even killed?

As he thought these things he noticed a small light that looked almost like a tiny star dancing around in the sky. It was getting larger and brighter. For a moment he thought that Waverider was coming back. He stood there and waited until the light finally reached him. It was not Waverider. It was a small sphere of intensely bright light about the size of a basketball. It stopped in front of him and hovered above the ground at eye level. He could hear a voice whispering from inside of it. He listened intently.

"Go back and forget," the voice said.

He had not even begun to deduce what the message meant when the light suddenly swelled up and enveloped him. The light filled his vision and numbed his mind. He gave into it and there was nothing more.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

September 19, 2007

"Clark?"

Clark blinked and cleared his eyes. The sun was gone. How long had it been since… Since what? He could not remember. What had happened? He looked over at Chloe who was standing in front of him, looking at him as if he had grown wings. They were still in the forest. He remembered that he was on a camping trip with her and Jimmy and a bunch of boy scouts.

"What did you say?" Clark asked her, trying to regain his bearings.

"I was telling you that Jimmy is jealous of my relationship with you," she said. "Are you okay? You look like you swallowed a bug."

"I think I'm okay," Clark said. "I'm just getting the weirdest feeling that I've been here before."

"You've been in these woods a thousand times," Chloe said.

"No," Clark replied. "I mean in this moment in time. Like déjà vu. And if I'm right then a giant ball of fire is going to pass over us right…now!"

Nothing happened.

"I guess your deja isn't as vu as you thought," Chloe said with a laugh.

Clark laughed and they went back to join the others at camp.

None of them saw the man standing only a few yards away from them, hidden in the shadows. He smiled and whispered softly to himself.

"Good luck, Kal-El," Matthew Rider said. "I know that our paths will cross again."

He started to run and transformed into Waverider as he went. No one noticed him as he passed into the timestream and out of their world.

End of Ten Years Gone.

Note:

I know that everyone was wanting a resolution to the Monarch story. But I will remind you that Waverider's mission in this story was based on a story from the comics entitled "Armageddon: 2001". If you really have to know who Monarch is, you can go to Wikipedia and look it up. But this story is from Clark's point of view. He never found out who Monarch was, and neither shall we.

In that comic's story, Waverider had a twelve issue adventure where he would go to a different hero and peek at their future to see if they became Monarch. He visited Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, the Flash, etc. But mostly in this story I wanted to show a possible Superman scenario using Smallville as a history. There are things that I would have done different if I was to write it again…but I won't. I'll go on to my next project.

I hope you all enjoyed it. I'll see you around.

Kal-El2K7


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